Introduction
Which are two of the most important areas of our lives? Our home and work, right? These two help us become something in our lives. I’m sure you would want to have peace in both these areas. But what if the home, as well as work environments, become toxic? I have faced issues in both areas. So, let me share with you what impact this toxicity can have on us and how we can manage both.
“The Truly Healthy environment is not merely safe but stimulating.” -William H. Stewart [1]
What Is The Importance Of A Healthy Home Environment and Work Environment?
A healthy home environment and work environment can be quite beneficial in our lives at an overall level [2] [3]:
- Psychological Well-being: Imagine a family that supports you, an office where your colleagues and bosses support you. How would you feel? At peace, right? It is as if there are no problems in the world, isn’t it? That’s what you will get when you have a healthy home and work surroundings. You’ll be able to talk your heart out with people, have lower stress and anxiety levels, and have fewer chances of depression as well.
- Productivity and Job Satisfaction: When you have no issues coming from the family or on the work front, not only will you be at peace, but your productivity will also increase. When you see yourself being able to fulfil your and your family’s goals and dreams, you will be supercharged to get to work and give your 100%. That way, you will be more satisfied with your job and work with fewer chances of getting burned out.
- Stress Reduction: Healthy home and work surroundings can help you manage stress levels in such a way that you can experience peace, relaxation, and happiness. The less stressed you are, the more charged up you can be to achieve your dreams.
- Work-life Balance: We all know how important it is to keep a balance between work life and personal life. When your family, bosses, and colleagues support you, you will be able to maintain this balance in a better manner. Then just notice how your mental, physical, and emotional health all start getting better, leading to a quality of life.
- Social Support: If you have a healthy home and work environment, you will have not just your family members but also your colleagues and supervisors to support you in the right manner at the end of a hectic day. That way, you can have a sense of belonging and not feel isolated or lonely.
How Do The Home Environment And Work Environment Impact Mental Health?
Our surroundings, family, bosses, and colleagues can have a huge impact on our mental health. Here’s how our home and work environments impact our mental health [3] [4]:
- Home Environment: If you have a disorganized or filthy home environment, or if you don’t have a good relationship with your family members, you can feel more stressed and anxious. But on the other hand, if you have a clean and well-maintained home, and your relationship with your family members is that of love, respect, and understanding, then you will feel peaceful, calm, and relaxed. In fact, you will even be able to bounce back from any problems that life throws your way.
- Work Environment: If you come from a job background that is strenuous, comes with long hours and excessive workloads, or does not encourage healthy interpersonal relationships, then you are more prone to burning out and having anxiety and depression. But if you have a positive work environment, you will have a high job satisfaction level, a sense of belongingness, and social support. That way, you will not burn out and be super productive and achieve all your targets in time.
- Noise and Environmental Factors: If your home and work environments are noisy, either because they are overcrowded with people or there’s traffic outside, then you can be more prone to high stress levels and frustration. But, a lot of people are opting for green spaces and access to natural sunlight at home and at work. That way, you can feel calmer and be able to do your work or be with your family in peace.
- Work-life Balance: When you have a good work environment as well as a home environment, you will be able to achieve a work-life balance. You will be able to see that you have less stress, more happiness, and higher job satisfaction, helping you improve your overall mental health.
- Social Interactions: A healthy work and home environment can help you get the emotional support you need to manage your personal and professional commitments. You can then allow yourself to feel relaxed and excited.
Read more about- Burnout
How Do You Manage Home Environment and Work Environment to Optimise Mental Health?
Being able to manage your home as well as a work environment for better mental health has to be done on three levels [5] [6]:
- Set Clear Boundaries: You need to have a clear time limit between work and personal life. While you’re at work, nothing related to home should come in between and vice versa unless it’s an emergency. Just imagine the kind of relaxation and happiness it will bring you. So, once you’re done with work, do not bring it home and spend all your time with your family or for personal activities like exercising, etc.
- Organize and Declutter: It’s absolutely necessary to keep your life and surrounding clean and organized. When you declutter your home and work environments, you will notice that even your thoughts become clearer and calmer. You will not feel so stressed or overwhelmed in life. You will be able to notice that you are now able to complete your tasks quickly and with a relaxed mind.
- Prioritize Natural Light and Greenery: You know how flowers respond to sunlight, right? With excitement, isn’t it? Humans are much like that. When you don’t get enough exposure to sunlight and greenery, you are more prone to feeling sad. So, make sure you get enough sunlight, greenery, and good air quality so that you be in high energy and a positive mood. If that’s not possible, then you can look into having an air purifier and using indoor plants.
- Establish Routine and Balance: You can decide on having work hours, break time, me time, and family time. When there is a routine in place, you can feel excellent about yourself. It will also help you be productive in life. The only condition is that you need to stick to this routine.
- Practice Self-Care and Mindfulness: It might sound like a distant dream for you while you take care of work and home, but you need to start taking care of yourself. So, please start giving importance to it. You can indulge in exercising, sleeping on time, eating healthy, taking out time for hobbies, etc.
Conclusion
Work and home are where we spend most of our time in our lives. When family and work both support us, we can really focus on achieving our goals and dreams. Due to this, we will be able to achieve targets at work and spread happiness in our and our family members’ lives. But, if either of them causes issues, then we will be highly stressed and anxious. So try to work toward having a work-life balance by communicating with the people around you, getting help from them, practicing stress-reducing techniques, adding a routine to your life, etc. When this happens, you will be able to notice that your mental, physical, and emotional health all start getting better, leading to a quality of life.
United We Care offers expert guidance for individuals seeking to enhance their home and work environments to improve their mental health. Our team of wellness and mental health experts provides personalized methods and support to optimize your well-being. Take a proactive step towards a healthier and happier life by contacting United We Care today.
References
[1] “William H. Stewart Quote: ‘The Truly Healthy environment is not merely safe but stimulating.,’” William H. Stewart Quote: “The Truly Healthy environment is not merely safe but stimulating.” https://quotefancy.com/quote/1644874/William-H-Stewart-The-Truly-Healthy-environment-is-not-merely-safe-but-stimulating
[2] “How Your Environment Affects Your Mental Health,” Verywell Mind, Mar. 23, 2023. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-your-environment-affects-your-mental-health-5093687
[3] “Can Your Workplace Environment Affect Your Mental Health?,” Can Your Workplace Environment Affect Your Mental Health? https://psychcentral.com/blog/workplace-environment-affects-mental-health
[4] L. N. Robins, S. P. Schoenberg, S. J. Holmes, K. S. Ratcliff, A. Benham, and J. Works, “Early home environment and retrospective recall: A test for concordance between siblings with and without psychiatric disorders.,” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 27–41, Jan. 1985, doi: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.1985.tb03419.x.
[5] J. Oakman, N. Kinsman, R. Stuckey, M. Graham, and V. Weale, “A rapid review of mental and physical health effects of working at home: how do we optimise health?,” BMC Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, Nov. 2020, doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09875-z.
[6] “Working from Home: How to Optimize Your Work Environment and Stay Healthy | Blogs | CDC,” Working from Home: How to Optimize Your Work Environment and Stay Healthy | Blogs | CDC, Nov. 20, 2020. https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2020/11/20/working-from-home/
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