Nine ways to be well while WFH

There are easy physical and mental tricks we can build into our daily routines to fend off trouble ahead,

We ask the experts for advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle when you’re housebound

With remote working looking set to play a big role in our future, one thing is clear — it is not without its health challenges. Many home workers are reporting that without the daily commute, they are moving less and gaining weight. Others are finding that unsuitable work set-ups — like in bed or at the kitchen table — are giving them a bad back or sore shoulders. And that’s before we get to the isolating effects that working on your own can have, and how that might impact your mental health. With all those things in mind, we’ve prepared a ‘WFH MOT’ — follow these simple rules to make your home-working life happier, healthier and a little easier on your body.

1 Stand up to beat back pain

Daniel Quinn of Rebalance physiotherapy in Dublin has been treating an influx of “disc bulges, facet strains and muscular pains in and around the spine”, as result of the wholesale move to working from home. Initially, he thought that more time spent “at the kitchen table on chairs not designed for prolonged period of sitting” was to blame.

In fact, he says, “as the months have gone on we have realised that the cause of the pain has not been the desk set-up, but rather the duration of sitting has increased with a decrease in activity levels.

“We are now actively encouraging our patients to take regular breaks and get up from their chairs and to walk more frequently, take phone calls while out on a walk or a Zoom call while standing,” he says.

2 Don’t avoid your doctor

Perhaps the most worrying of all the negative health effects of the ongoing lockdown is missed or delayed diagnoses linked to people’s reluctance to schedule routine appointments or see their GP when they experience problems.

“It’s staggering, the long-term effects lockdown is going to have on us at a population level,” says Galway GP Dr Laura Lenihan. “If you have an issue it’s so, so important to attend to pick things up early at the slightest worry,” she insists. “Or ring your GP and they will triage you over the phone — then we’re seeing who we need to see.”

3 Set an app reminder

Quinn recommends the use of apps such as Eyeleo and TimeOut, that encourage people working at a PC to get up and move more often. “This also has the added benefit of improving mental health as well as your general health,” he says.

4 Schedule micro-workouts

In her GP practice, Dr Laura has already noticed an up-tick in patients presenting with lockdown related weight gain, and connected health issues such as high blood pressure. Physical activity which used to be built into our normal day without us even noticing it — walking to the bus stop or climbing the stairs in the office — has been abruptly removed from our lives.

We need to be conscious about replacing these things while our freedom of movement is restricted. “Even something as simple as running up the stairs three times a day. That will increase your physical activity immensely,” says Dr Laura. “You should start to see the difference within six weeks.

Perhaps you’re stuck at home with kids. Throw on the radio, throw on karaoke. Get them interested in their favourite song and dance around the room a couple of times a day.”

She also advises that a “brisk walk, not a leisurely walk, 10-20 minutes every day is better than not doing anything.”

5 Tune into how you are feeling

“Almost a year since our world changed dramatically, it’s safe to say that many of us are pouring from an empty cup,” explains Carmen Bryce, Communications and Fundraising Manager at Mental Health Ireland (mentalhealthireland.ie). “The mental energy we spent with the massive transition into a new landscape is in desperate need of replenishment.”

The first step in helping to process uncomfortable emotion is to acknowledge it, she says. This is the first step in the ‘Four As’ of mental wellbeing, which also include awareness, acceptance and action. “Right now, we might be feeling scared, angry, frustrated, confused. These are all natural responses to what’s happening around us,” she says. “Awareness is taking time to tune in with kindness to our thoughts, feelings and actions. Pay attention to your breathing and how you feel in your mind and body,” she says.

6 Be aware of when low mood is becoming more serious

Under normal circumstances around one in four people might expect to experience a mental health disorder in any given year. But the strain of lockdown might be putting a whole new cohort of people at risk. Depression can come on gradually, and sometimes be difficult to recognise. Stephen McBride from the mental health charity Aware (aware.ie) recommends keeping in mind the acryonym FESTIVAL (Feeling, Energy, Sleep, Thoughts, Interest, Value in ourselves, Aches and pains, and Lifestyle) as a way of taking stock of how you are coping and whether you might be at risk of having a diagnosable condition.

“The idea being that depression isn’t just to do with sadness, it’s to do with the whole range of that ‘festival’ acronym,” he says. “In lockdown, we all have manifested (disturbances) in certain aspects of those nine things. Depression might be more signposted if there are problems with five or more of those nine letters.”

7 Find what works for you

One size does not fit all when it comes to self care. The key, says Stephen McBride, is to “develop an individually crafted plan around what works for you. There are the universal basics — exercise, nutrition and sleep — but beyond that the crucial thing about an individual plan is that it has some meaning to you. Sometimes it’s exercise but it could be playing the guitar or reading a book. It could be watching television. It doesn’t have to be fancy or rocket science. It’s tuning into what works for you.”

8 Practice good visual hygiene

There are simple steps you can take to reduce the risk of eye strain from emailing and being on Zoom, according to Lynda McGivneyNolan, Optometric Advisor to the Irish Association of Optometrists. “This includes taking regular breaks form your screen, getting up, stretching, moving around and using some gross motor skills,” she says. “Try and do this every 20 minutes; for at least 20 seconds.”

She also recommends doing blinking exercises, staying hydrated — “it helps prevent the eyes from drying up” — and being aware of the quality of light where you are working. “Try and set up your work station so you are near a good source of daylight, your laptop is on a table of good height,” she says. “If possible use a bigger screen, which allows you to look up rather than having to bend your neck all the time.”

9 Keep connected

We are social animals, so a switch to home-working can be really hard to adjust to. If you are feeling cut off from others or miss the camaraderie of the office, find out if your company is planning any team events or online meet-ups. You could even suggest a virtual coffee morning with colleagues, or reach out to your manager with suggestions for keeping in touch.

“There’s no shame in giving oneself permission to say that I’m struggling a little bit. Or that I’m feeling deflated, or that I’m feeling sad or lonely, and that it is to do with this forced isolation,” says Stephen McBride from Aware. “One of the antidotes is trying to as be kind and generous and as gentle with ourselves as we can in the restricted world we are all living in.”