Handling Work At Home Stress

We know that an office environment can be a huge source of stress, so those of us that work at home believe we’ve got the advantage over our corporate counterparts. Maybe.

But then again, maybe not.

It is true that we don’t have many of the pressures that you find in a corporate office setting – unending distractions, coworker conflicts, demanding bosses, cramped and poorly lit work spaces – but working at home does have a few drawbacks of its own that, if not addressed, can cause serious stress symptoms.

Interestingly, or should I say ironically, the very reasons many of us choose to work from home are the same reasons we find our stress levels rising. Here are a few examples.

Work-at-Home Benefit #1 – Flexible Schedule

The Fantasy: Working from home means you can occasionally take a few hours off during the day for personal business, like errands, your kids’ school activities, or mani-pedis. After all, you can work later when the kids go to bed.

The Reality: You frequently, not occasionally, work into the wee hours of the night, leaving you irritable, fuzzy-headed, and jumpy from the copious amounts of caffeine you drink to stay awake.

Work-at-Home Benefit #2 – More Time Off

The Fantasy: You understand the importance of getting away from the office, disengaging from work obligations. So as your own boss, you get to take as many vacation and sick days as you need.

The Reality: Your definition of vacations are when you work from “satellite offices” in other cities where there are a lot of tourist attractions. And sick days are when you move your office to a room down the hall where you work lying in an office bed instead of sitting in an office chair. It is a good thing that you have unlimited sick days and vacation time, because you never seem to feel rejuvenated, and you just can’t seem to get over your recent illness.

Work-at-Home Benefit #3 – The 5-Second Commute

The Fantasy: Having an office in your home means not spending two hours in the morning dressing for work and commuting through bumper-to-bumper traffic.

The Reality: No need to “leave your work at the office.” You can pop in there anytime to take care of quick tasks since you’re already dressed for work (after all, Hello Kitty pajamas are acceptable office attire) and you’re “driving” by there on your way to the kitchen anyway. And those looming deadlines and unfinished projects tend to distract you from your family time and keep you up at night when they’re just a few steps away.

Work-at-Home Benefit #4 – Fewer Distractions

The Fantasy: Working from home means no distractions from chatty coworkers, ringing telephones, or your boss asking how to load paper into the copier.

The Reality: Without all those distractions, you’re able to write an article, put a load of laundry in the washer, send an email to a colleague, throw something in the Crock Pot for dinner, learn a new software program, take your kids to the park. Wait a minute, what was I doing? And why haven’t I gotten anything done?

All joking aside, it’s important to separate your work from your personal life. By doing this, you more fully participate in family time, and you’re more efficient during work hours. One of the few benefits, in my opinion, to working outside the home is that you can easily compartmentalize your home life and your work life.

When you’re at work, you are more likely to stay focused on work, and when you leave the office, the work stays there. In addition, the commute home, even if it’s just ten minutes, gives you the opportunity to transition from a work frame of mind to a family oriented mindset.

But when your office is in your home, it’s up to you to draw clear boundaries between family and work.

Melissa Gordon is a certified wellness coach and healthy relationships coach dedicated to helping women reconnect with their partner and put the sizzle back in their marriage. Find more information about Melissa and her SMART Approach to life and relationships at Simply Red Hot and LifeSMART Coaching.