How to Comfortably Work From Home

Over the past year, working from home has become the new normal for a lot of people across the world. It took time for those workers to adjust, however, and many waited to create a true home office space in case they had to go back sooner rather than later. Interestingly enough, U.S. News once predicted that, “most of those working remotely would still prefer to work from home when states begin to lift coronavirus restrictions.” As restrictions are beginning to ease up, that does appear to be the case. So why not settle in and learn how to comfortably work from home? Here’s how you can do just that:

Set Up a Home Office

One of the most effective ways to making yourself more comfortable when working from home is to have a dedicated space just for work. You don’t need an entire spare bedroom for this, but do try to avoid spaces that are already designated for sleeping, eating, and relaxing. In case you happen to choose your living room, we highly recommend that you use an office chair that is adjustable and provides adequate neck and lumbar support.

Avoid the Couch

Couches are perfect for sitting back and streaming movies and shows, but awful for your posture when it comes to typing on a computer all day. If your device is on your lap or a table in front of you, you’ll need to be leaning forward most of the time – resulting in back pain/stiffness throughout your shoulders and neck.

Create an Ergonomic Environment

According to Merriam-Webster, ergonomics is “an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.” Consider how your eyes, wrists, back, and neck feel by the end of the day. If you’re in pain, then you need to make your surroundings work for and not against you. This includes the chair, desk, monitor, and more:

• Adjust your chair so that your elbows and wrists are in line with your desk to reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor and make sure that your legs are parallel to the ground to relieve your spine of stress.
• If you find yourself looking up or down at your monitor, either raise your chair or find a sturdy object like a shelf to prop it up.

Prioritize Nutrition

Working from home has provided many people with the freedom to eat whatever they want, whenever they want it. This, however, is both positive and negative. Positively speaking, making your own meals from home alleviates any stress that comes with preparing meals the night before. Since you no longer share a refrigerator with coworkers, all of the food has your name on it. Looking at this in a more negative light, you might pick foods/snacks that are more convenient than nutritious. Make sure to avoid the pantry and choose healthy foods/snacks such as fruits and vegetables to keep your energy high. Also, remember to drink plenty of water!

Stay Active Throughout the Day

Did you know that sitting too often can actually be dangerous? It’s true! “Prolonged periods of sitting have been tied to at least 35 serious health conditions, including premature death.” That’s why it’s important to stay active throughout the day, which you can accomplish through several different ways:

• Wear headphones so that you can walk around more often
• Venture outside rather than stay idle at your desk all day
• Take stress and stretching breaks every hour

Try scheduling an alert every hour to move around for 5-10 minutes – your legs, feet, and mind will appreciate this time the most.

Make an Appointment with The Wellness Connection

There’s a chance that you make all of these changes at home but still experience some form of pain after work. Let The Wellness Connection help you push the reset button on your health by making an appointment online today. Our knowledgeable doctors will guide you through customized natural healing programs by way of:

• Top quality chiropractic care
• Nutritional counseling
• Spinal decompression
• Functional medicine
• Hormone regulation
• Food allergy testing
• Home exercise instruction
• And more