11 Simple Tips To Reduce Stress While Working Remotely

This pandemic has caused me to revisit my own experiences with stress because I have been feeling it, especially over the summer months.

I recently wrote about this stress in Getting Out Of The Summer Doldrums.

This September marks 18 months since I’ve delivered a live speaking presentation, and there’s a part of me that misses the travel.

A typical September would have Laura and me attending conferences and me speaking in cities like; Las Vegas, Nashville, and New Orleans. Along the way, we would catch Broadway shows and savor the local cuisine.

When I’m traveling on my own, I don’t see the cities and the sites. I arrive in the dark and, I leave in the dark.

My conscious self doesn’t miss me getting up at 4 am PT on Sunday, to catch a solo 7 am flight off of Vancouver Island to Vancouver and then to Atlanta followed by at 10:45 pm ET flight to Charlotte.

My conscious self misses the one-on-one connections with people and live audiences.

My conscious self misses the quiet time to write while traveling.

My unconscious mind misses the adrenaline, distraction, excitement, running, rush and variety of travelling.

That said, in the absence of travelling stimulants, I’ve been having a harder time working from home, and again I really started to notice this over the summer months and was frankly dreading September.

I’m an old pro at working remotely from home and have not worked out of an office for decades.

So why was I feeling stress and dreading September?

I had fallen out of my routine over the summer, especially in the absence of a September travel fix on the horizon.

According to Christopher M. Palmer, MD, director of the Department of Postgraduate and Continuing Education at McLean Hospital. “Whenever people’s routines change significantly or expectations change, it stresses people. That’s the way our bodies work.” If you have massive disruptions to your life, you should expect to experience some degree of stress,” he asserted. “This stress will persist until you reach a new equilibrium or comfort level.” Palmer described this comfort level as “a position where you’re getting the things done that you need to get done, and you feel like you’ve got some structure and a routine.” How To Deal With Ongoing Stress Caused By Working From Home; McLean Harvard Medical School June 18, 2020.

During the summer, I had fallen off the wagon of waking up at the same time each day and going to bed at a regular time.

Here are 11 Simple Tips To Reduce Stress While Working Remotely

1. Wake up at the same time each day
2. Meditate or pray first thing in the morning before your feet hit the ground running
3. Eat lunch at the same time each day
4. Reduce caffeine in the afternoon
5. Go for a lunchtime walk every day
6. End your workday at a reasonable time
7. Practice saying no; have strong boundaries
8. Limit the consumption of over-stimulating NEWS and TV
9. Log off the internet well before bedtime
10. Log in and journal your daily blessings
11. Go to bed at a regular time

Stay tuned for; A Brief History In Time Management.