We have been working from home since the start of circuit breaker and even though we are in Phase 2 now, telecommuting is still the default for most people. School has started to reopen in batches, but most students are still doing their home-based learning. This will be the default until this pandemic is over and that might take a while.

Working from home and home-based learning are two things we thought we wanted, until we got it. Before this pandemic, we would kill to do our work or attend classes online, in the comfort of our own home. But now that we got it, we are dying to get back out there. Doing things at home can be draining as we are so used to the structure that we have either at work or in school. Now that we can do things on our own time and pace, everything went haywire. It is like the things that we normally do just got 10 times harder. The situation that we are all currently facing does not help either.

Now, because of the situation and the lack of structure, everyone is at this weird stage in their lives. Understandably so since this pandemic has jumbled things up. It is like we are grappling at anything to keep us grounded. Add working from home and home-based learning to the mix and our stress level just went off the chart.

But during this time, it is super important for us to take a break and manage our stress levels, which is easier said than done. You can’t just get rid of stress with the snap of your fingers but by doing these things, you can definitely make things easier for yourself.

Plan everything

Planning out your time gives you some kind of structure. This way, you will know what you need to do and when you need to do them. Give yourself some time to do those tasks and remember that it is okay to go over the time. Planning act as a guideline. You don’t need to necessarily follow the time down to the minute but knowing what to do next will definitely help to ease your mind.

Set boundaries

Now that you are in the comfort of your own home, you can do things at your own pace. Usually in school or in the office you would pretend to do your work just so your boss or lecturer won’t catch you doing nothing. But since you are at home, you can allow yourself some time for breaks every few hours.

It is important to set boundaries so that you are not sitting at your desk for 7 hours straight. Boundaries can be in the form of setting specific time aside for yourself such that you will not allow yourself to work after hours or think about work at night. Since working from home or learning from home, our work-life balance is blurred. So it is incredibly important for you to set boundaries for work and personal life, and make sure you follow them.

Manage time wisely

This is, without a doubt, in line with the first two. Planning and setting boundaries will not help you if you do not know how to manage your time wisely. Managing your time well will not only ensure that you do the tasks you’re required to do, but it also helps to reduce anxiety since you know you have enough time set aside to do those tasks. This will ultimately reduce the stress on yourself.

These are the things that you can do (if you’re not doing it already) to reduce the stress and the weight that you put on yourself. By being a little more organised in the work that you do and setting specific time aside to do them, will make things easier for you and lighten your load.

Of course if you are already doing these and you are still feeling stressed out, you can take the aromatherapy route and light a candle or diffuse essential oil in your personal space to help calm your nerves and ease your mind as you do your work.

You can also diffuse the scents while you are asleep to get rid of the remaining stress at the end of the day and refresh your body and mind for tomorrow’s adventures.

You can get your hands on candles and essential oils of your choice at our eStore now.

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Life After Covid-19: Work-Life Balance