Before we all began the COVID-19 lockdowns, the idea of working at home sounded amazing. No commute. Sweatpants all day. No more listening to the din of co-workers boasting about their amazing weekends or loudly smacking their gum.

Then we went home to work. Many began to realize as time passed, remote work is not the utopia they had imagined. There are many reasons for the dissolution that work at home was going to be the ‘bomb’ and here are the most common complaints and how we at Chattanooga Integrated Medicine Center want to help you deal with them.

There is no more autopilot.

When you go to work outside of the house, you can turn off your home routine because It’s easier to leave behind most of your everyday worries. And at the end of workday  you can often leave work behind. But now, they are one in the same.

Our recommendation: Find a dedicated space for “work” at your house. Be sure to create transition time between the hours of work and when you are off by giving 5 minutes or so to listen to music or exercise between. This will create a natural separation between work and home.

Work at home has created more exhaustion.

Zoom, Facetime, Teams, and GoToMeeting fatigue is a real thing. Staring at a screen is mentally taxing because your brain has to work a lot harder to decipher nonverbal communication on a screen. Again, we recommend a transition time and exercise to help turn off work and turn on home.

Stress eating and incessant snacking.

Though technically working, your non-work environment can lead to boredom. The kitchen is now steps away or it may actually be your office. This is a prescription for weight gain and overeating.

Our recommendation:  Pack your lunch as though you’re going to work and at the appropriate time, take a lunch break as you normally would. Keep your body in its usual rhythm. Perhaps make the home office not the kitchen or dining room when possible.

Distractions, distractions.

Laundry. Children. Pets. Phone calls. Deliveries. The distractions at your house are endless. You may seem to be taking twice as long to complete simple work tasks.

Our recommendation: Noise cancelling headphones will help if you are distracted by general house noise. Using timers or time-keeping apps may also keep you on task.

At Chattanooga Integrated Medicine Center, we are concerned about your whole being, not just your physical. That’s why we talk so much about health and wellness as a lifestyle- one which we hope to help you achieve, and to do it pain free!

Call us today and let us help you: 423-499-0003

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