Working from home: When Comfort Becomes a Cage
At first, working from home feels like prayers answered. Everything about it just feels so perfect.
No reason to be caught up in traffic or running late to the office. You wouldn’t be surrounded by noisy keyboards and having endless discussions or jokes that you just have to have to be a part of. It is just you in the comfort of your home, having coffee in your favorite cup, wearing casual clothes and enjoying the calmness.
You wake up whenever you want, play some music of your choice, or any other anything that makes you happy. You are not answerable to anyone for any move you make. All you are concerned about is completing your to-do list. That is serious freedom, right?
At first, it feels really good.
The freedom is usually very exciting at the beginning, but after a while, it begins to feel different.
Every day becomes like the day before, nothing new. You struggle to tell the difference between Monday and Tuesday because every day looks the same. You do literally everything on the couch. You work, eat, and even rest there. That silence you once loved starts to make you sad; it becomes so burdensome because you talk to yourself much more than you talk to people.
You join video meetings where you smile, nod and then close your laptop feeling really sad and empty. You also get to have conversations and connections but in all of that, there is no warmth. Your home that felt very spacious starts to feel really small because a lot is happening in there.
You are in a comfortable space but at the same time, you are searching for comfort, feeling emotionally, mentally and physically drained. Every morning, you wake up feeling like a log of wood, very tired and struggling to start your day. You go to bed feeling unsatisfied even after you have met all targets.
This is the point where you learn that working from home is not just about staying indoors but it comes with a lot of changes. It makes you question everything because you are also trying to understand yourself all over again. The struggle to adapt is real and beyond how appealing it looks, there are challenges that come with it.
It gets tougher over time, and if you don’t start early to protect your mental health while working remotely, the freedom and comfort you once loved can gradually turn around to make life difficult than it already is.
Let’s look at 10 ways working from home can impact your mental health
How Working from Home Impacts Your Mental Health
1. The Quiet Burn of Isolation
Humans are naturally made to enjoy life when connected to people. Faces, voices, and presence are very important for our existence, but when you spend long hours on screens, the world starts to feel so small, just like your inbox. The more you stay away from real human contact, the more invisible you feel. This kind of job can keep you away from the real world and keep you in that little space. I call it little because no matter how spacious your home is, it is nothing compared to the size of the real world.
Isolation does not announce itself loudly all the time. At times, it is just that ache in your chest, or lack of excitement.
In the long run, too, the isolation that comes with working from home can cause anxiety, very poor motivation, and even sadness, which are just some of the basic mental health challenges of remote work.
(For a deeper look at how isolation affects wellbeing, read Mind.org.uk’s guide on loneliness and mental health).
2. Dopamine Depletion and Low Motivation
Movement naturally gives momentum. When you often talk, laugh, commute and just relate with people, your brain releases some ‘feel good’ chemicals called dopamine and serotonin. As the name is, these chemicals increase your motivation and makes you feel good. The more you interact with people, the more joyful and focused you can be.
But remote work does not give room for such interaction. You can sit silently at a spot the whole day, nobody to talk to or laugh with and after a while, your body fails to release dopamine leaving you feeling detached, unmotivated and sluggish.
Little tasks also begin to feel so difficult and tough to handle. You just want to be done with everything even before you start. This is a hidden effect of working from home. Nothing seems easy anymore because there is little or zero motivation.
3. The Blur Between Work and Rest
As a remote worker, there is practically no boundary between the office and home. The home is supposed to be a place you look forward to, a place of relaxation and calmness but as a remote worker, you eat beside your laptop, rest where you work and also work while you rest. Most people do anything anywhere because it is their house and nobody is monitoring their movement. There is no restriction and so, anything goes.
There is no mental separation between the two and this keeps your brain constantly alert, increasing cortisol, the stress hormone. When you lay on the bed, your brain does not relax because it also recognizes the bed as a work space. As a result, you also suffer emotional exhaustion, irritability, insomnia and remote work burnout which sometimes is seen as ambition.
4. Bad Posture, Bad Mood
Your posture does not just affect your spine, it also affects your mind. When you spend long hours before the screen, your neck gets tighter and your breathing is restricted. That posture also reduces the flow of oxygen and energy and after a while, your body starts sending some distress signals to the brain. This can cause fatigue, irritability and even anxiety.
You know the bent posture people mostly take when sitting before the screen?
It can also be called a collapsed posture and it naturally sends a signal to your nervous system saying that you are not safe or strong but when you sit upright, it also sends a signal of confidence and safety. This happens because there is a strong connection between your postures and brain.
So, as a remote worker who is consistently on the screen, there is a possibility of bending your back which sends such signals to your brain that affects your mood, mental health and productivity.
5. Circadian Rhythm Chaos
When you hardly leave your house, you no longer get as much sunlight as you should and that is unhealthy. The sun helps to control a lot in your body like the circadian rhythm which is the 24 hour clock that controls sleep, mood and hormones. This means that without the sun, your brain will no longer produce melatonin and serotonin needed for sleep, energy, appetite and a whole lot.
This is why a lot of remote workers struggle to sleep. They suffer insomnia, unnecessary mood swings and severe headaches. This is a very serious effect of working from home that can completely destabilize a person, change the body’s patterns and affect mental health.
Some also have anxiety issue because they hardly sleep, they get frustrated and struggle to meet up with the demands of their job.
6. Decision Fatigue and Cognitive Overload
Working from home makes you a multi-tasker. You become a worker, parent, cleaner, chef all at the same time and your brain just keeps switching roles. This is not easy at all. It can really get draining and frustrating especially for someone who lacks such capacity or one close to it.
Multi-tasking and expecting to excellently deliver in everything is almost impossible. It causes forgetfulness, irritability and gets you feeling so busy yet so unaccomplished. You get fatigued and overwhelmed trying to figure out a lot at once and after a while, you just don’t want to do anything anymore.
It is not laziness; it is simply mental fatigue that comes from trying to sort out personal and professional matters all at once. The mind struggles hard in this state and you don’t expect to be productive or mentally healthy.
Have you noticed that the more responsibility you carry in life, the more frustrated you feel?
Have you also noticed that as grow in life, you see how easier life was for you when you were younger? That’s the same thing here!
The more decisions you have on your table, the more stressed out you become. This is one of the most common stress remote workers face especially those who have their kids and spouses around. This is so powerful to affect their mental health.
7. The Self-Worth Spiral
It is easier to gets some words of affirmation and praises from your superior in a traditional office space because you are present and every move of yours is noticed at the spot but remote workers on the other hand often face unending complaints because distance makes it difficult to communicate some things perfectly. Sometimes too, it’s the silence. When you don’t hear from your leaders, you begin to feel like they are searching for a better person, or doubt your abilities because the silence sounds like failure.
You know the way you ignore someone who is below standard?
That’s how the silence feels.
This gradually affects your self-esteem. After a while, you start having this constant feeling of inadequacies even when you’re doing so well. This is one very common mental health challenges of remote work mostly for people who perform highly on the wings of praises and acknowledgement.
8. The Weight of Stillness
It is very easy to gain weight while working from home, not because you want to or you did anything extra but just because you are mostly at a spot. Sitting throughout the day makes metabolism very slow, increases inflammation and affects hormonal balance. All these also greatly affects your mood and energy.
So, as your weight increases, you feel heavier and this makes most people lose themselves. At this point, it can become a battle to love yourself. You look at your reflection and you wonder why you are that fat. This can cause guilt and low drive. You suddenly hate yourself and struggle through to achieve anything.
This is one overlooked effect of working from home. It greatly affects the mental health and makes life somewhat uninteresting.
9. Sensory Deprivation and Monotony
Our senses love stimulation. Our brains love sounds, scents, colors and anything that makes it creative but when you stay indoors, everything looks the same everyday, nothing different. This causes sensory monotony. Your brain gets bored and stops lighting up because it keeps seeing same colors every day. After a while, you lose the excitement and spark that you once had when you started working.
This sensory monotony can lead to burnout, sadness, frustration and low motivation. It may seem little but it has a very strong effect on working from home which gradually takes the beauty of life away. It sucks passion and kills purpose.
You begin to feel tired of everything because there is no newness, but stepping out of your house everyday makes you get to see different colors, hear different sounds and get involved in activities that keep your brain alive.
10. The Silent Slide into Depression
All we have talked about so far-poor posture, isolation, fatigue and so on are usually generalized. Most times, someone who feels isolated thinks he is tired. No, it’s not tiredness, these are early signs of depression and when they are not handled properly, things get worse and detachment creeps in.
It happens gradually and most people don’t notice all these until things get worse. The mind has a limit to the trouble it can take. It can absorb so much but when things get unbearable, it gives up and things go sour. This is why it is very important to protect your mental health while working remotely.
This silent slide into depression happens a lot among remote workers. Most of them are even cut off from loved ones, family and friends. They get used to staying alone and after a while, depression sets in.
10 Ways to Guard Your Mental Health While Working from Home
With all of these effects we have seen earlier, you can also protect yourself. It is possible to work remotely and experience very little or none of these. It only takes intentionality and extra efforts to protect your mental health from all of these even as a remote worker. Let us look at 10 of them:
1. Create a Real Workspace
It is healthier to set boundaries between work and rest even when you work at home. Create a work space and be strict with maintaining that. If you work just anywhere around the house, you are harming your mind and it never gets to relax.
So, just have a workspace, no matter how small and strictly respect the boundary. Whenever you sit there, your brain just knows its work time and when you leave there, your body starts to switch to a relaxing or casual mode.
That will help your mind a lot. That separation improves your mental health and productivity. It will also help protect you from getting unnecessarily overwhelmed and burnt out because a part of your home still truly feels like home.
- Move Like It’s Medicine
As a remote worker, try to exercise your body. We are naturally built to do better when we move. So, never see the freedom of working from home as an opportunity to sit throughout the day. Get up and move your legs. If possible, take some time out to walk. It helps in blood flow and proper increase of energy.
You can even dance when you are done with a project. It helps your body release endorphins that kick off fatigue and stress. As you all about work, take breaks in between to move your body no matter how little. It prevents mental complications and remote work burnout.
I know it is tempting to just focus and finish a task no matter how long it takes but it is wiser to also consider your health because it takes health and life to even complete a task. If you keep ignoring your health, you will most likely not be able to focus on more tasks moving forward. Don’t you think?
(To learn more about how being active supports mental wellbeing, see NHS — Be active for your mental health.)
2. Chase the Sun
The Sun is natural light, and it is so important for your health. It is medicine and your brain knows this. You need sunlight for the hormone that regulates food, energy, and focus because it’s absence can completely change your body patterns.
Open your curtains wide. Try step out of the house for about ten minutes every morning and expose your skin and eyes to the sun for a while before you even receive your first mail or task. You need the sun rays to think better. It will help your body remain regulated, prevent instability, balance your circadian rhythm and also protect you against depression and fatigue. It is very important for maintaining mental health as a remote worker.
3. Breathe Better, Sit Taller
Your Body and your mind have a great relationship when it comes to your posture. When you sit bent over for a long time, your breathing becomes slow, your lungs compress, and even your stress increases. You begin to feel empty and fed up.
To avoid this, ensure you are always sitting straight, try sit properly no matter how tired you feel. Push hard and focus, you will be done soon. Get a chair that will help you, and keep your screen at eye level so you don’t have to stretch your neck or bend downwards while working.
Also, regularly take your shoulders backwards and take about five deep breaths and immediately, your brain gets the signal that you are okay. This singular act makes you more energized, hopeful and happy.
So, maintaining a good posture is not just about your back or body but mostly for your mind. It increases your focus and helps your mood which are very important factors in mental health and productivity.
4. Guard Your Start and Finish Times
If you don’t plan your schedule or have a clear structure, remote work can eat into your entire day. Sometimes, you start early but because of some difficulties you encountered, you finish at night. You even skip meals just to focus but at the end of the day, you still need more time.
No, that is not good for you.
Have a plan, structure your day and clearly state your break times in-between.
When you clock out, ensure to really clock out. Close your laptop and keep everything work aside until you clock in again. You can go for a walk, see a movie, cook. Just do something that sends the signal that work is over to your mind.
This way, your mind gains balance and you hardly feel overwhelmed. It is important that you prioritize your wellbeing too even as you work. Have a routine and do well to follow it. That will help you create a safe space and balance your mental health while working from home.
5. Feed the Brain, Not Just the Body
You have to be intentional about what you eat. Mental work is naturally draining because it’s a thing of the brain and mind. Whatever you eat determines how your energy or focus level and how your brain responds to stress.
Skipping meals, feeding on caffeine, taking sugar regularly and working hard at the same time is not healthy. You may seem to be fine for a while but give it some time, your concentration and abilities will come crashing.
Eat good food. Take healthy meals that nourish your mind and body. When you feed your body, you are also feeding your brain. Eat avocados, berries, nuts, whole grains, leafy greens and plenty of water. Ensure your meal is always balanced and healthy.
Always remember this: The more nourished your brain is, the more creative, resilient and calm it becomes especially when it comes to remote work.
(For practical nutrition tips, read Verywell Mind – Feel Good Foods: The Diet-Brain Connection.)
6. Stay Seen and Connected
Isolation is a gradual killer of your mental health as a remote worker. You need to interact with people. You are wired to be seen, heard, and even felt. Once you lose connection with people, if feels like your soul lacks oxygen.
Try to have a life outside work. Have virtual dates, make random calls and have friendly conversations with loved ones, be part of causal online conversations. You can also plan meetups with friends who understand what it means to work remotely. They know you are hardly available but when you are, they also appreciate it.
Laugh, talk about life and share experiences. That’s the spark of life. It should not always be about work. Moments like that triggers your body to release oxytocin which is the relaxing and boding hormone that refreshes you and reduces anxiety. If you have a lover or life partner, also spend time with them.
Be internal about your relationships because when they blossom, your mental health also blossoms. Like they always say, No man is an island.
7. Let Your Mind Play
All work and no play make you dull. If all you do is work work work, then, you don’t love yourself. Your brain is not made to always work. It is also wired to get curious and have some fun.
Your brain cannot be only concerned about serious matters. That’s a lot of pressure and it is totally unhealthy because you don’t give room for joy and excitement. No matter how much you love your job, you still need to play. Your job may be exciting but it is never play.
Try to paint, dance, journal, read interesting stories, see movies. Whatever it is, just play!
After such breaks, you get even more creative, refreshed, happier and more ready for work. It relieves you from fatigue which is a silent effect of working from home that most people don’t take note of.
Taking out time to play and have fun is one of the easiest ways of improving mental health and productivity.
9. Protect Your Digital Peace
Your inbox as a remote worker is mostly on fire. You get emails and calls countlessly and it is normal to want to respond all the time but you have to protect your mind. Unending notifications is serious noise to your mental health. You can mute chats after some hours, set your phone on ‘Do not disturb’ mode and check on emails at intervals. That way, you are not responding every second you get a mail.
Give your eyes a break from the screens sometimes. Try to stay away from your phone or laptop for at least an hour before bedtime. Try to meditate, journal or be calm.
When you protect yourself from the chaos that messages and calls can bring, you are on the safer side with your mental health. It is a very intentional act that will pay off. You can always respond to some people later. The truth is that not every mail or call does not need immediate attention. So, guard your peace and protect your mind even as a remote worker.
10. Ask for Help Before You Break
It is also advisable to speak up. Nobody has an idea of what you are going through until you speak up. Sometimes, all these listed above may not work because you need extra help. Reach out to someone, talk to a counsellor, therapist, or send messages to some legitimate online support groups.
Sharing your weaknesses or pain does not mean you are weak; it means you love yourself. If you feel so anxious, drained, and frustrated, you need external help because at that point, you can’t even help yourself. Self-help is not always enough.
Therapy is never a failure; it is self-maintenance and love. You don’t need to get to the extreme before seeking help. The same way you service your gadgets, even when there are no loud signs? You can do that for yourself.
You need to stop pretending that you are well when you clearly are not. Be honest and sincere, that will help you greatly. Reach out for help before you get broken. You can work remotely and still intentionally service your mental health. All you need is to book appointments that will favour your schedules and activities.
Conclusion: Protect Your Mental Health Like It’s Part of the Job
Working from home has changed the narrative. You don’t need to step out of your comfort zone anymore before you can earn money. Now, people are not bothered about the struggles out there, they sit back and do life differently from what we use to know.
But the truth remains that in all of this, your mental health comes first. In fact, that is your real work. You should pay more attention to that than anything else because if it crashes, then, everything crashes too. You lose focus, creativity, joy and even confidence.
So, pay great attention to your mental health and wellbeing. Practice all that has been shared in this article. Be intentional about every one of them. Stretch your body, step out regularly for sunlight, get a community and make friends you can talk to, eat healthy, have fun and laugh well. No one has a spare life somewhere so you have to be careful. You don’t have to wait till there’s a problem before you apply all of these. Start now because prevention is always better than cure.
Also, you will definitely have an enjoyable experience as a remote worker when your mental health is intact. It increases your drive and gives you joy! You are always motivated and that way, it’s easier to love your job. So, guard your mind, be very selfish with it, protect your wellbeing and always know that no job can buy your mental health.
Yes, no amount of money can buy your sanity. So, as you pursue your career or push harder to be better at what you do, always remember that there is a mind that serves as the foundation for all you do and if it crumbles, then, you are in big trouble. Guard your mental health by yourself.
NO ONE CAN LOVE YOU LIKE YOU!
If this article gave you value, do well to share with someone that might really need this now. You might just be the saviour they have been waiting for.
Do you work from home?
I will really love to hear your experience as a remote worker in the comments.
