to feel bummed or anxious , and punishing ourselves only makes things worse . People feeling burned out from remote work should know everything they ’ re feeling is valid , Sako says . She advises people to cut themselves some slack , consider what they are getting done and even give “ praise for the things they are accomplishing .”
Give your body some love
Sako says we shouldn ’ t overlook the basics : sleep , exercise , healthy food and no more than a moderate intake of alcohol . “ Get in a car and go somewhere ,” McDaniel says , who rightly notes that “ we ’ re surrounded by lakes and rivers and mountains .” When we ’ re feeling depleted or adrift , McDaniel says , a trip to nature can ground us to the here and now .
Embrace social hobbies
In the pre-vaccine days of COVID-19 , Andrade resolved he would start playing pool as soon as it became safe to do so ; that helped him become more social even as much of his work ( via teletherapy ) remained remote . He also launched a podcast , “ Psychology Plus ,” which gave him a creative outlet , as “ this was my own way to take care of myself .”
Help yourself by helping others
Altruistic , volunteer-based projects can be nourishing , McDaniel says , “ especially if you ’ re feeling isolated .” could take as little as five minutes . Maybe it ’ s drawing , maybe it ’ s playing the guitar , maybe it ’ s simply listening to a song you love — really listening — while doing nothing else . As Rockers reminds us , after two years of trudging through the pandemic , “ We ’ re doing so much and it ’ s OK to take some time to not do .”
Jeff Wilser is the author of seven books , most recently “ Becoming a Firefighter ,” from Simon & Schuster ’ s “ Masters at Work ” series .
Do something social outdoors
If you ’ re an executive who moved your team remote — and kept it that way — Engler says now , after all this time , it ’ s even more important to do something in person together , like an outdoor picnic in the park . “ I think that ’ s better than the cliche happy hour Zoom .”
Let yourself play
“ What ’ s missing so much in today ’ s society ,” Rockers says , “ is to have some fun creative outlets and play .” That
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