If you are self- employed, working from home (WFH) can be the norm. If you have children and a partner, the pandemic has become a real juggling act. There are benefits – not travelling, waking later, seeing the children, or taking the time to get ready (or not at all if you don’t feel like it). As a therapist, I saw clients who had struggled with social anxiety were calmer and happier as they no longer had to grapple with social expectations. WFH provides flexibility to be able to work around our commitments and can be extremely useful when it comes to a work/life balance. For once, your work is fluidly working around your lifestyle.

However, I have started to see a new type of client – the sort who has not experienced chronic stress or persistent anxiety. For these clients, WFH has a role to play – let me explain.

Unfortunately, with the continuous changes the current research indicates 48% of the population are struggling to manage their mental health. Persistent anxiety or chronic stress can affect our ability to work efficiently. When physically at work, we can choose to deal with outstanding work on another day. When working from home, there can be a tendency to blur the lines and to push ourselves to the limit.  We mistakenly believe that time and energy are to equal quality. Whether living alone or with others, this can have a detrimental impact on overall sense of wellbeing. Taking a break becomes infrequent as fear can keeps us glued to devices or, we try to catch up with personal tasks.  Mental and physical fatigue is exacerbated by poor sleep and eating habits. Migraines, IBS, chronic pain, loss of hair, skin conditions are all possible indicators of stress.

Video conferencing is great tool but lacks the social connection we require to human survival, it lacks the nuances to build relationships. That chat when someone mentions they had an awful or a brilliant weekend. Those moments that cultivate respect and empathy. There is also the psychological loss of being an employee. Working for someone and being a part of team are different.

All these symptoms can affect overall work performance and potentially lead to burn out. As employers, it is important to support staff work preference where possible and being prepared to have honest discussions about the potential implications.