Due to the rising COVID-19 fatalities, employees all over the world were advised to stay and work at the safety of their homes.
While some considered working at their homes a blessing, most employees who got used to their routines were frustrated by the harsh reality that this is the new normal. There is no need to quit our job or be miserable about a work-from-home situation. Just follow these few simple steps that would make getting up for working at home therapeutic for you.
Body O’Clock
Many of us are overly reliant on our alarm clocks to wake us up in the morning. After all, it truly somehow works unless we keep on hitting the snooze button for the nth time. Alarm clocks are also an easy fix for those who have trouble waking up in the wee hours of dawn.
However, is the alarm clock really the best thing to start our day? Maybe it is doing us more harm than our preconceived benefit from it.
According to a study published by the Japan National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, waking up to the loud ringing noise of an alarm clock can cause harm for our hearts. Abrupt wakefulness also increases our risks for high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems in the future. Aside from those, the alarm clock can cause rapid shift from a relaxed state to having adrenaline coursing all over our body. This sudden change significantly increases our stress levels. Let us be honest, that is how we should start our workday mornings.
To have a better chance of achieving a great morning routine, we must first change the way we sleep at night. Completely stop using gadgets two to three hours before bed time. That way, we would lessen our eyes’ exposure to the blue light emitted through gadget screens. If you are unfamiliar with blue light, it is a type of light that is helpful for treating sleep related disorder through suppressing melatonin production. Still, if we are exposed to blue light during the night, it can cause us to miss out on sleep.
The placement of our beds is also an important factor to consider. A room that gets enough sunlight in the morning is crucial for stabilizing our circadian rhythm. this also helps us wake up earlier because our body can sense the light hitting our closed eyes. Which is why natural sunlight is a thousand times way better than blaring noise in the morning courtesy of our alarm clocks.
Another way to get our bodies ready for the busy work day ahead is to take a cold shower in the morning. While you might groan about how it is uncomfortable, you do not need to keep running the cold water throughout your shower. A quick jolt of cold freshness is what we just need to wake up our bodies from the perfect sleep that we had the night before.
A Champion Breakfast
Breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day for most of us with busy schedules. Making time to prepare breakfast is also cumbersome for the most part because we want something that is easy and quick to prepare. This leads to an influx of people getting their first meal of the day at fast food restaurants. Though this solution is a quick fix, it is not the healthiest option in the long run.
Breaking the fasting state that we were on during the night is important because it nourishes our whole body for the work that is ahead. Eating breakfast also aids us by improving our overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being. For those trying to keep unwanted fat away, having breakfast also gives us a healthier body weight and we consume less calories throughout the day once we fuel up with a nutrient dense breakfast. Our performance at work improves greatly as well, thanks to a better and faster cognitive function. The first meal of the day also reduces our risk for chronic diseases. See? Through eating breakfast, our chance at a longer and more fulfilling life can be achieved.
Now that we are thoroughly convince about eating our breakfast, you may be asking what makes up the perfect breakfast. For it to be a quality standard, it should consist of nutrient dense calories for that are proportional to our needs that would rely on our age, gender, and lifestyle. To achieve the perfect breakfast it should the go, glow, and grow food groups. Start with having eggs for protein, whole-grain bread that is toasted for the added texture and carbohydrates, and some blueberries for fiber that aids in digestion.
Fine Tunes
While the quiet morning definitely has its beauty, playing music in the morning has a lot of perks. You might be wondering why but study shows that while meditating for a few minutes during a quite morning is beneficial, doing it for longer is just an open invitation to go back to sleep. Soothing music incorporated in you morning routine also trains us for the art of mindfulness.
For those working in the creative field, tuning in to music also helps to let our creative juices flow into our best work. If you are still not convinced, just remember that music has a lot of proven benefits no matter what the time that we play it.
Look Good, Feel Good
Working at home should not be the reason for us to stay in our pyjamas while we complete our tasks. There must be a sartorial line to cross for our daily look book which will inspire us to keep working. Donning the proper and comfortable working clothes can also frame our mind that for today, we must work. Unlike when we just wear something from the night before, we would also feel confident to present ourselves to our office mates if our boss conducts a mandatory Zoom meeting.
Freshening up before working will also prevent embarrassing moments when our virtual presence is needed. Some spritz of your favorite perfume, your crowning glory all in place, and some makeup along with understated jewelry will go a long way at making you look good and present your best face forward your employers.
Now that we have curated the perfect morning routine, you are ready to face the computer monitor and countless virtual meetings. So go ahead and smile while working your way up the corporate ladder.
