I am one of those #BossGirls – AKA a girl who starts her own business and works for herself – and I wouldn’t have it any other way. However, that being said, what I do sometimes find is that working from home has its pitfalls, such as putting your self-care on the back burner.
When you don’t have to leave the house for work, you are much less likely to take as much pride in your appearance as you would if you were heading off to work in an office, for instance. It’s this lack of care that can impact your wellbeing in a negative way, having a huge impact on your self-esteem and sense of self-worth.
Bearing that in mind, below I have put together a list of simple steps that you can take to make sure that your self-care does not get put on the back burner while you work from home.
Look after your physical and mental health
It is far too easy to get into unhealthy habits when you work from home, such as not taking care of your physical and mental health by failing to be as active as possible. The fact is that to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, you need to spend at least three hours a week being physically active. Physical activity not only helps to burn fat and hone your muscles, it also relieves stress and enhances your mood.
Personally, I like to ‘walk to work’ each morning. Before I start work each day, I get dressed, leave the house, and do a loop around my local neighbourhood – usually, this lasts for about 20 minutes before I return home. This gets me out of the house and helps me to give my metabolism a boost. I also like to practice a combination of pilates and yoga each evening after I finish work – this helps to relieve stress and relax my mind and body.
Primp and preen
When you work from home, it’s easy to get into the habit of not taking pride in your appearance – after all, who is going to see you? But the fact is, when you don’t take care of yourself, it has an impact on your self-esteem, which is why making time to ‘primp and preen’ is so important. Spending your working week with your hair tangled and greasy is not going to make you feel nice, is it?
That’s why I like to make every effort to take care of myself and my appearance. What do I do? I make sure to wash my hair every other day and style it, like I would if I worked in an office environment. I also like to make time to keep on top of my ‘professional’ beauty regime, such as having my hair lasered by specialists like those at Dore Aesthetic, my nails painted with gel nail polish that is tougher and more longer lasting than regular polish, and my skin cleansed with a facial from my local beauty parlour.
Dress up, not down
Yes, when you work from home, there is no one there to see you or judge what you are wearing, but does that mean that you should just dress casually all of the time? While how you dress for work is up to you, dressing to impress will make you feel happier and more content about who you are.
What I like to do, even when I know I won’t be leaving the house all day, is dress in a smart, casual style. Recently, I’ve taken inspiration from that preppy fashion look – think high waisted skirts, peter pan collars, tights, and cardigans – so that I am comfortable, stylish, and well dressed. For me, dressing like I would when heading to work, improves my mood and mindset, boosting my ability to get more work done.
There you have it, everything that you need to know about the benefits of making self-care a priority when you work from home.
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