We’re are currently living in extremely difficult times, and it seems this will continue for the foreseeable future. I know many of you will be very worried right now, but I hope we can help support you with some light relief, tips, and cheering up. Because we will get through this.
Given the nature of the-Bias-Cut.com being online, I frequently work from my home office, so I thought I’d share with you some top tips on how to cope if you and/or your cohabiters are now in the same position.
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Get Dressed
It is all too tempting to slouch around when staying at home. But it’s important for your mental health and self-worth to still get up at a routine time, have a shower, and get properly dressed.
Whilst I don’t get ‘dolled up’, I still like to put on beautiful clothes that I feel good in, as it puts me in the right mindset. Too often we tell ourselves we should only save certain special items ‘for best’, but really ‘best’ should be any time when you want to feel good about yourself. And why shouldn’t that be when you’re at home, and even on your own?
Did you know? A survey of 100 women found that more than 57% of women will wear a baggy top when depressed, whilst only 2% would wear one when happy
Comfort and ease is still important though, so my personal fabrics of choice tend to be cashmere, wool, jersey, viscose or cotton. I can layer depending on the temperature and feel relaxed, but by wearing beautiful, quality pieces that feel gorgeous on my skin, I’m still taking care of myself. And, if I need to jump on a skype or facetime call I don’t need to panic and run to my wardrobe! (more about that later).
Discover our 'Indoors & Loungewear' collection here
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Combat loneliness with soft background noise
Ask any person who works or stays at home in the day, and they’ll tell you one of the most difficult things to cope with is the loneliness. Even when you need to concentrate, it can be affecting having zero communication with others.
To combat this, I recommend having some sort of background noise that keeps you relaxed without distracting you too much. You may prefer radio or music, but for me that doesn’t work as I just end up listening too intently (or even want to start dancing!). So my personal preference is having reruns of a tv show (usually a sitcom or trashy drama) on in the background that I already know well so it doesn’t require concentration and I have familiar sounds around me. So, in my office, I’ll be working on my desktop but have something quietly on in the background on my laptop or tablet. That way I feel less isolated, but I can always switch it off it gets too distracting.
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Boundaries
If you’re someone who’s at home alone a lot, it can be very invasive when suddenly you have to share the space with someone else. I share a small flat with my boyfriend and, whilst he usually works in an office, over the last few months he’s worked from home about once a week. Now he’s working from home indefinitely. So we’ve had to establish some ground rules.
On the one hand, it has been nice having someone else around to combat the loneliness, but it’s too easy to get too excited and distracted by the prospect of finally having someone to talk to. And conversely, when I already have my routines in place, it can be very disruptive and frustrating when these are being meddled with.
So, we’ve agreed on some compromises. And we work in separate rooms, have shared our diaries with each other to make sure we don’t disrupt each other’s’ meetings, and both have our own background noise on to keep us focused. And if one’s working whilst the other one isn’t, we’ve agreed that that person goes in the office so they aren’t disturbed.
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You can still have ‘virtual’ meetings
Working from or staying at home doesn’t mean you have to cancel all social interaction; you can still have productive virtual meetings or catch ups. The issue with phone calls are, they tend to act purely as preliminary conversations, because we all know how much more valuable face to face interaction can be. But, whilst it may not be preferable, you can still have a very fruitful conversation over video chatting. So whether you prefer skype, facetime or another platform, don’t cancel those meetings or conversations – instead settle in together with a cup of coffee and keep things going!
Those are my 4 top tips for now, and we’ll continue to share tips, content and inspiration to keep you going through these times. And if you have any of your own tips or suggestions, please comment & share below!
