Stress-free work from home: How to work from home in times of the Corona crisis

Take health risks in the home office seriously

A survey by many organizations from 2019 shows that people who work from home are exposed to more stress than colleagues in the office. According to this, exhaustion, concentration problems, and sleep disorders are among the most common health problems associated with working from home – usually triggered by unfavorable working conditions.

Service is service

Even in the Corona crisis, it makes sense to adhere to fixed working hours. Especially when the office and your own four walls are identical. Separating work and free time can be a challenge for many employees, especially when working from home. Try anyway.

Start your work at the usual time, take sufficient breaks, and, if possible, active, and end your working day. Shutting down the laptop, packing it away, and telling yourself “It’s over” can be a healthy routine for after work.

Tip: When you work from home, dress as you would otherwise for your work. So the chances are good that you will get into the usual workflow at home.

Healthy workplace in the home office

This is how you can organize your work at home in such a way that you feel comfortable and prevent (health) problems:

• Set up a permanent workplace where you can do your tasks undisturbed. Get best laptops for working from home for yourself.
• Make your workplace health-friendly through optimal lighting conditions (ideally daylight) and as little noise as possible.
• Make sure that the room temperature is right, ideally between 20 ° and 22 ° Celsius.
• Try to make your workplace the best it can be. Align your desk, chair, and screen so that you can sit upright and look straight ahead at the monitor. The lower and upper thighs should form a 90 to 100-degree angle when sitting. The feet are firmly on the ground. An ergonomically shaped mouse is ideal for a healthy hand position.

Movement prevents back pain

Long periods of sitting in front of the screen, one-sided work processes and stress can lead to physical discomfort.

How to bring more activity into your everyday life:

• Walk in the fresh air for 30 to 60 minutes a day.
• You can also ride a bike or go jogging during your lunch break or after work.
• Exercises at the desk prevent physical complaints such as back problems. 

Avoid stress in the home office

Working at home also means that you are exposed to unfamiliar stress factors: noises from neighbors, barking dogs, construction site noise or traffic are annoying and distracting. The changed work situation, childcare or switching to a new everyday life are also associated with stress for many people.

Eat healthy – also in the home office

Eating healthy ingredients on working days promotes health, performance, and wellbeing. Make sure you eat in moderation and eat as light as possible. Because if you sit most of the day, you don’t burn as many calories and feel tired more quickly when there is hearty food.

Many researchers recommend eating at least three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit a day. This corresponds to around 400 grams of vegetables and around 250 grams of fruit. Rule of thumb: a handful is one serving.

According to the research, you can eat milk and dairy products such as yogurt and cheese, and fish once or twice a week. Meat should not be consumed more than a maximum of 600 g per week.