Wake up, sit at desk, work, bed and sleep. Repeat.
This is the daily routine for many hard-working citizens who began working from home 12 months ago when the coronavirus pandemic moved into the United States.
The term “remote” would usually be inferred when mentioning vacations, but now the word’s definition is, “stay at home.” A recent study by TELUS International revealed that nearly 75% of U.S workers struggled at work due to anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study also revealed that 4 out of 5 workers found it hard to “shut off” at the end of the day, and half of the participants reported their sleep patterns were irregular due to the COVID-19. Forty-five percent said they felt less healthy mentally.
“Working from home like this is killing me but I gotta pay the bills somehow, you know?” said senior FAMU student David Moore, who added that he is grateful for the convenience of working at home but finds it difficult to reset his days after a long shift.
“Honestly, working from home is not as cracked up as it’s made to be, like it’s cool not having to worry about being late or even leave the house but it gets restrictive and I don’t feel inspired. It’s like I wake up and I hate going to work but I hate being at home because it’s like I’m clocking in every time I wake up,” Moore said.
To cope with the day-to-day routine, Moore finds that taking a walk around the park or just taking part of the day to step outside along with music for a good mental reset does the trick.
With the combination of school, day care and other businesses closing; the working from home life can blur the lines in our personal to professional boundaries and add continued stress. Miranda Sadler, a Pensacola native and mother of one, believes working from home makes it easier for her to care for her child. But she also struggles with the pitfalls of that family time luxury.
“I enjoy being able to spend more time with my family and make sure that my home is taken care of. On the other hand, it’s challenging because I feel like I can never disconnect from my work. I struggle trying to find that balance between home life and work life since it’s all mixed together. Some nights I have a hard time going to sleep because I’m up thinking about my work for the next day,” Sadler said.