Our mental well-being is a complex and highly important thing. There is not one universal way to take care of your mental health, but doing so will definitely improve your quality of life. In today’s time of remote business, and working from home, it is even more important to seek out ways of looking after yourself. For example, TechQuarters is a managed IT services company London businesses have trusted for over a decade – and they were one of the earliest adopters of remote working when the Covid pandemic emerged. Part of the reason for their success has been that they take extra effort to look out for their remote employees, and ensure they have measures in place to look after their mental health & wellbeing.
TechQuarters are advocates of taking advantage of technology to support your mental wellbeing. But what are some of the fundamental technologies you can use to do this?
Lamps
This may seem like a childishly simple answer, but the fact remains that light is incredibly important for our mental wellbeing. It is a well known fact that spending long periods of time in the dark, or dimly lit environments has a negative effect on mood. On the other hand, sunshine and daylight has many recorded benefits to both our physical and mental wellbeing.
Naturally, with work, and school, and various other responsibilities most of us have, it is not always possible for us to spend the right amount of time outside in the daylight. Therefore, a good solution could be a high quality lamp. Say you’re working from home – a desk lamp will guarantee good lighting throughout your day. You can even purchase lamps that are able to simulate sunlight, which can really help with your mood and energy levels.
At the same time, it is important to be able to wind down from work as you approach the evening. Some lamps are dimmable, and can even change the temperature of the light, which is a good idea if you don’t want to strain your eyes or your mind with prolonged time in front of blue light.
Break reminders
When you are at work, particularly if you are working from home, you generally spend a lot less time standing up and walking around – it has actually been observed that people working from home take fewer breaks.
Taking breaks are very important for office workers. Humans are not meant to spend many consecutive hours sitting down – doing so is bad for posture, for focus, and for the mood. In fact, most office workers report increases in productivity when they schedule in regular breaks, enabling them to stretch their muscles and have a change of scenery – even if that change in scenery is simply getting away from their desk. If you’re the type of person who has trouble remembering to take a break, there are plenty of apps and programs you can install on your phone or your PC, which will remind you to take breaks at regular intervals.
Virtual activities
Working from home can sometimes feel quite lonely, especially if you live alone or other people you live with are out of the house for most of the day. Getting regular face time with people is very valuable – something that most people probably took for granted when they worked in their offices. Now, people spend a lot of their work week in solitude; but the best solution is to connect with colleagues virtually. Most businesses that enable remote work will have a preferred videoconferencing application that colleagues use to communicate – this might be Zoom, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. IT support services companies like TechQuarters always recommend the regular use of a videoconferencing solution – not just for meetings and other communications, but also for team building and other social activities.
Whether its games, quizzes that get people competing and interacting with one another, or virtual meals to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner a more interesting affair – virtual activities are a great way to ensure that everyone in a business is taking part in some form of social interaction whilst working from home. Businesses have an obligation to look after their colleagues, and this is a valuable way to do this.
Adam Mulligan did his degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
