Wellness and Working From Home

What is Wellness? :

wellness working from home

Wellness is currently one of those buzz words we are all using but what exactly is it? Wellness is a holistic approach to living an healthy lifestyle based on 8 dimensions of wellness; social, physical, intellectual, occupational, emotional, financial, spiritual and environmental.  I’m just going to look at one aspect today taking time out for yourself refreshing and maintaining your emotional wellbeing.

We are very good at neglecting ourselves and not seeing the value of taking time out or nourishing our emotional wellbeing. With work, parenting, housework, pets, shopping – you literally don’t have time to think.  But our emotional wellbeing has an effect on everything and taking time out should be a necessity not a luxury.

Working from home can be a blessing and a curse.  When you work from home you can go days, weeks without seeing any real life person (thank goodness for social media). Which is why I love networking for that buzz, adrenaline rush you get from interacting with others.  But you can get out everyday and network as you’d never get any work done.

Another block I have from taking time out is that I get super fixated upon hours.  My working day is from 9:15am – 2:30pm which means I totally worry about using an hour or so for me as my to do list feels never ending. New research suggests that around 1 third of working parents struggle to manage childcare, working and well everything in between.  A study of 1,123 workers conducted by Willis Towers Watson suggested that 34% of parents said balancing childcare responsibilities and working, negatively affected their health or mental wellbeing. I can totally relate to that it can be crazy stressful juggling everything. Starting now I’m giving myself permission to take time out.

Making time for me : 

On 19th September I was invited along with another 1000 women in UK, Ireland and overseas to enjoy a massage with SpaBreaks to help encourage women to take some time out for themselves.  Kara (www.chelseamamma.com) was also involved so we decided to take our swimwear and enjoy the spa facilities afterwards (we even had lunch! I know right!)

Armed with my Simply Yours Leopard Bikini Set I was ready to enjoy the spa, I love that the Simply Be range of swimswear comes in a range of mix and match items to suit all styles and body shapes. I could wear both of these pieces with a plain black alternative if I was a bit conscious of over doing the leopard print but to be honest you can’t have enough leopard print ever!  We swam (some longer than others), chilled in the Jacuzzi, tried out the mineral room, which was a bit random then headed for the sauna. Kara and I totally made the most of our “me time”, leaving feeling super relaxed and ready to take on the world.

Of course spa days aren’t something we can do weekly! (Unless you are a brand that wants to make this happen then we can totally do spa days every week!) Down-time works as an effective method in which to combat the stresses of daily life. So here are some “me time” ideas which won’t break the bank.

5 Me Time Ideas For Busy Working Mums : 

walking for wellness wellbeing

  1. Walks in the park : As a busy mum of 3, I know what wonders a walk can do to children but you don’t have to be under 10 to feel the benefits. Kara and I have been trying to go on weekly walks for ages BUT we have now taken action.  Not only is walking good exercise but boosts stress-easing endorphins, reduces fatigue and increases circulation, improving your heart health.  After walking for an hour (we can move at quite a pace without small children) my whole mental outlook is different, it’s true fresh air certainly does blow the cobwebs away. There’s a great article by Cheryl Rickman on how she walks her way into a happy state everyday : Walking Into Well-Being: The Power of The Gratitude Walk
  2. Adult Colouring In : You’d be surprised how relaxing and therapeutic colouring in can be.  Colouring in acts as a way in which to perform active meditation. This is when we are focusing all our attention on one simple task requiring repetitive motion and this is exactly what colouring in does. crayola adult colouring
  3. Get outside : Don’t underestimate just getting out of your office and sitting outside, even in the winter chuck on a coat and enjoy your well earned cup of coffee.  Fresh air does wonders, you will feel invigorated and productive, you will have also enjoyed that coffee instead of drinking and working at the same time.  Little acts like this will help you feel calmer and relaxed.
  4. Bullet Journals : This whole concept is quite new to me and I’m loving doodling and creating pretty layouts.  I started back in June writing down something that made me happy everyday and even on those horrendous parenting days (we all have them) the simple act of concentrating on one good thing each night leaves me feeling less negative.
  5. Have a Bath : Sometimes there is nothing better than a quiet house, a hot bath and Netflix running on the iPad.  A nice relaxing bath does wonders for your mood through laying horizontal in water.

Bonus Tip : 

Ensure after all the me time once you get back into your office this is a healthy working environment. Clutter and excess amounts of paperwork will all have detrimental effect on your mental health and wellbeing : Making Your Home Office Healthy

Do you take time out for yourself? What activities do you undertake in order to create a calmer state of wellbeing.




Found this useful wondering how you can show me your appreciation? Well, there are some ways you can say thanks and support my website: ➡

Leave a Reply to Steph Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

11 Comments

  1. October 5, 2017 / 3:57 pm

    Our weekly walks are something I look forward to. It’s great going with someone else as not only does it motivate you go but you chat about work and ideas too along the way or over coffee and cake

  2. October 6, 2017 / 1:34 am

    for me I love to take care of my dogs when I have free time, and to plant some trees in the garden. These things won’t cost money but they really bring the happiness.

  3. Sarah
    October 6, 2017 / 1:16 pm

    I’ve often wondered what working from home would be like…I can’t imagine doing it for now but in a few years, things could change! I totally agree with getting outside and doing another activity to clear your head, I’ve often found that focusing on something else means that when I go back to a problem, I’m able to solve it!

  4. October 9, 2017 / 9:15 am

    Love this. I’ve always steered away from the adult colouring books because I thought I’d feel unfulfilled but I’m leaning towards giving them a go now.

    Also Bath’s ftw!

  5. October 9, 2017 / 12:04 pm

    Couldn’t agree more! Love your ideas! Next time my partner moans at me for wanting to have a soak in the i’ll remind it helps my wellness and wellbeing!!

  6. My Sharp Pen
    October 9, 2017 / 2:19 pm

    Multi tasking and juggling so many things have a way of making one put herself last. It gets to a point when you nearly want to snap and you start getting pissed at everyone around. Resting and actually resting fully should never be underplayed.

  7. October 9, 2017 / 2:43 pm

    Love your suggestions Joanne and you just can’t beat a bath sometimes!

  8. October 9, 2017 / 9:15 pm

    I’ve dabbled in the adult colouring and do find it relaxing but honestly the best thing for me has always been reading. If I can just lose myself for ten minutes I feel so much more relaxed!

  9. January 3, 2018 / 8:01 am

    Great article, love your suggestions. I my free time I usually like to do painting and planting new plants in my garden.

  10. March 13, 2018 / 1:47 pm

    So important to take time out and so difficult to achieve a balance. I’m def looking to strike more balance and try and look after myself a little more .
    This has inspired me to do that more.

    • March 13, 2018 / 1:56 pm

      It’s been lovely seeing you at the Self-Employed Team Building Socials. I’m really trying to take more time for myself and be less stressed!