Practical Ways To Make Your Home Into A Healthy Work Space
Like most people, your home is not only a place for your family but also your work. Whether you’re running a home-based business, or the coronavirus has forced you to adopt remote working strategies, working from home can be very stressful. If you spend hours behind your computer, it can be challenging to give your body the exercise it needs, not to mention dealing with the pains from uncomfortable sitting positions. So, if you’re working from home, here are some ways to make your home a healthy space for work.
Separate your workspace from your home
The first thing you want to do is create a dedicated workspace separated from the rest of your home. This is easier said than done in most cases, as you’ll need to first establish some solid boundaries between work and home. If your home already has enough space, you might want to dedicate a spare room as your workspace. This way, it will be easier to keep your work stuff separated from everything else and even under lock and key if you prefer.
If you don’t have the luxury of extra space, try dedicating any portion of your home as your workstation. Whether you prefer to work in your bedroom, kitchen, or behind your dining table, be sure that there are few to no distractions. You can use things like a standing bookshelf, a curtain, or a foldable room divider to define that workspace.
Add healthy elements
When setting up or designing your workstation, adding elements that will support or protect your health is important. Plants, for example, are a perfect addition to any workspace. Having plants has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, including improving air quality, stabilizing mood, reducing stress, increasing attention span, and improving creativity, among others. Plus, plants also produce oxygen, exchanging it for the carbon dioxide your body releases.
Add essential ergonomics
Workstation ergonomics cover everything that affects how well your body interacts with the work equipment you use or your workspace in general. For example, a bad sitting posture or sitting in an uncomfortable position for several hours each day can pile more stress on your body, not to mention body pains. Unfortunately, the temptation to slide down your chair when you start feeling tired can be pretty strong.
So, your best option is to maintain discipline and adopt a healthy sitting posture at all times. Secondly, be sure to choose comfortable furniture while supporting your posture.
Consider natural lighting
Natural lighting has also been shown to reduce health issues like blurred vision, eye strain, headaches, to mention a few. It also helps to promote alertness, improve productivity, and boost working morale. That said, be sure to open your windows during the day and position your workstation closer to natural light sources in the best possible way. If you’re considering moving into a new home, look for options that’ll give you access to natural light, regardless of the architecture you prefer, whether a multi family construction or an isolated building.
