If you’ve been working from home even intermittently during this pandemic, it’s not impossible that you’re feeling a bit burned out. After all, by working from home, you’re asking your brain to both be productive and relax in the exact same space every day.
Tips to trick your brain into seeing a “new workspace”
- Do a more usual routine. Get up, workout, have breakfast, get dressed as if you were going to work like usual.
- Add plants to the space you’re working in. Plants not only add to air filtration and improve subjective human loneliness but green plants also provide a color that helps us feel more positive. Green has been proven to allow people to see things more positively.
- Change what you’re looking at. If you’ve been looking at a white wall for the last few months, can you change the positioning of your desk or chair so that you’re seeing something else? You could also do this by putting up some temporary wallpaper or a new picture.
- Take yourself out on a walk at least once a day. Getting natural light and moving can help make our day feel more broken up.
- Set boundaries. If you aren’t required to do so, make sure that you’re not blurring the boundaries of when your day is over by repetitively checking your email or work chat.
- Plan meals and exercise. Just as you might have in the past when going to work, set yourself a time to do your exercise, whatever that may be. Plan out your meals and meal prep if possible. It takes the guesswork out of meals and results in you feeling more control in eating healthy for you.