6 tips for taking care of your mental health

Remote work comes with plenty of benefits. We know that. You know that. But we also recognise the downsides of it. It might be lonesome, stressful, sometimes it can be difficult to create boundaries between work and rest.

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“You can’t pour from an empty cup”, have you heard this expression? It is an old and wise saying meaning that you can’t give more than you have. So, if you’ve been feeling a bit down lately, or maybe someone you know hasn’t been themselves, it’s important to remind you to take care of yourself. 

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Here we share 6 tips for how to refill that empty cup of yours.

1. Prioritize taking care of your mental health

Thinking about yourself is not selfish. First of all, this shows that you know and love yourself. It also allows you to create and maintain your boundaries whether it comes to the workload you want to have or how often you want to hang out with your friends. A healthy mind creates magic!  

2. Have a routine

One of the crucial things for keeping your mental state well, is your daily routine. We all need some kind of safety net and a routine can be exactly that. Everything changes so fast - clients might cancel a contract, a meeting might go in the opposite direction you would have liked it to go, but some things you do regularly will keep you steady. It creates a comfort zone where you can always come back. 

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“Remember, it is ok not to be ok. You have a right for that.”

3. Healthy habits

You probably have already heard it, but it’s never enough to repeat - healthy habits are important for your wellbeing! So focus on healthy food, quality sleep, and daily exercise. You can add meditation, reading, listening to music or anything else that helps you build a healthy routine and habits.

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4. Big fat “no” to toxic work environment

We want to emphasize the importance of healthy relationships (be it at work or private). Toxic and dysfunctional working environment might cause you stress, anxiety or even depression. One might think that remote work could reduce toxicity, but stories here, here or here show the opposite.

Sometimes it might be difficult to recognize toxic behaviour. As a rule of thumb, if during conversations with your colleagues or managers you feel uneasy, tense or your gut feeling warns you that something is wrong, it probably means that your boundaries are being pushed and you are entering a toxic space. If this happens, try to take the control of your boundaries back and communicate them to others. 

5. Search for help

When we feel down, it feels like we are alone and the rest are doing perfectly fine. That is not true! Everyone has hard times sometimes and so it is important to share your experiences. Talking to others brings different perspectives to your problems or can just simply brighten your day. Remember, it is ok not to be ok. You have a right for that. 

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“If during conversations with your colleagues or managers you feel uneasy, tense or your gut feeling warns you that something is wrong, it probably means that your boundaries are being pushed.”

6. Leave work at work

So, your working hours are over and you moved from desk to couch. But where is your mind? Is it still thinking about all the things you’ll have to do tomorrow?

Logging off completely is important, so not only your body, but also your mind can rest. Here are a few ways how to do this: 

• Spend the last 10 minutes of your workday preparing a to-do list for tomorrow.
• Set clear expectations for colleagues and clients about work-related communication outside of working hours. 
• Have a clear structure on when you start and end your workday.