By Kate Harveston | Posted: April 15, 2020
Right now, you might feel significant anxiety. This principle goes double if you recently transitioned from office work to telecommuting. Suddenly, you find your entire schedule and routine in chaos.
Mindfulness can help you to navigate the stormy seas of new territory. It returns you to the present moment and allays future fears. Here are seven activities you can do as a remote worker to adjust to your new reality.
1. Make More of Eye Breaks
If you suddenly find yourself logging in to your computer more often, you’re not alone. However, spending long hours at the screen can result in eye strain and headaches. Experts recommend taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away. Why not make this time mindful?
If you have a water feature, like an aquarium, focus on that. Do nothing but clear your mind and listen to the trickle of the water for 20 seconds. Alternatively, get up and look out the window — gazing at nature can help relax you.
2. Meditate
If you haven’t practiced meditation before, now is the ideal time to start. Meditation can lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which enhances the immune system and streamlines the body’s ability to cleanse itself of toxins. Excessive cortisol can weaken your immunity by lowering the levels of white blood cells in your body.
How should you start? Sit in a comfortable position and focus only on your breath. If you are new to the practice, you can find free guided meditation videos on YouTube that can help.
3. Deep Breathing
Did you know that when you exhale, you activate your parasympathetic nervous system — the side that is responsible for telling your body to calm down. You can take advantage of this mechanism by learning how to practice 2-to-1 breathing. In this method, you exhale fully for twice as long as you inhale.
To help you practice, place your hands on your belly while you breathe. Feel it expand as you inhale and contract when you exhale.
4. Taking a Walk
Taking a walk can become an exercise in mindfulness. Try the following as you stroll.
What do you hear? Do you hear birds singing? Crickets chirping? With the decrease in traffic, you might revel in the natural sounds that abound.
How does your body feel? As your feet hit the ground, how does it make your body feel? Observe the way the air feels moving in and out of your lungs. Take note of all these sensations in a neutral, observing fashion to keep yourself centered in the present moment.
5. Cooking and Eating Your Meals
If you got into the habit of swinging by the drive-thru and eating in your car, guess what? You can now make mealtime mindful. As you chop up your veggies and other ingredients for your dinner, observe the aroma of each one. How do the colors all blend?
When you sit down to eat, do so without distractions. Don’t scarf down your food while gazing at your phone or sitting at your laptop. Chew and savor each bite and pay attention to how your body feels. You might be impressed at how little it takes to make you feel full.
6. Cleaning and Arranging Your Office Space
If you are new to the world of telecommuting, you probably need to upgrade your home office space. Why not make this an exercise in mindfulness? As you look at each object to place it, ask yourself if it brings you joy. If it doesn’t, and it isn’t necessary, add it to a pile that you can eventually donate or sell at a yard sale. As you arrange the remaining items, do so in a way that makes you smile. Aesthetics matter when it comes to improving your overall outlook.
7. Practice Yoga
Yoga is the ideal mind-body activity for getting into the present moment. When you engage in your practice, focus on the four foundations of mindfulness to fully integrate your movement with your thoughts.
Mindfulness of body: This practice helps you see your body as a neutral physical object — it is not “you.” You can increase your self-esteem by learning to laugh at yourself instead of getting frustrated when you fall in balance poses, for example.
Mindfulness of feelings: Humans are emotional creatures, and this practice helps you to see your emotions as just that — only sensations, not the end of the world.
Mindfulness of mind: Your thoughts impact your reality. Becoming aware of racing thoughts can help you reframe them more positively.
Mindfulness of dharma: Right now, the world is in flux. Mindfulness of dharma reminds you that everything is temporary — whatever your most significant crisis is at the moment, it will eventually pass.
Become More Mindful While Working Remotely
If you feel as if your world is topsy-turvy now that you work remotely, you are not alone. However, embracing mindfulness can help you regain your center and sense of control during tumultuous times.
Kate Harveston writes about wellness and mental health. If you enjoy her work, you can visit her women’s health blog, So Well, So Woman. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
