Online job is fun, yes, it is. You have your time freedom. You can do other stuff while working at home. You can start the work anytime, and you can end it anytime, you can make your schedule. You can stay more focused without minding office politics and bossy officemates.
Online job is fun. You can have any kind of working place and can be anywhere too. It can be on your comfy bed, you can work while watching your favorite movie on your sofa, or while listening to chirping birds in your garden. You can work while eating your favorite meals and snacks with your family. You can even bring your work if you want to travel, or if you want to drink a coffee at a coffee shop, thanks to portable devices powered by technology.
Online job is comfy, it's hassle-free. You don't need to join the congestion on the road. You don't need to stress out yourself while waiting for vehicles that seem to take years to come. And you can avoid hearing the noisy road with horning cars, and shouting barkers.
And most especially, online job is comfy. You can work on your pajamas or any comfy clothes. You don't need to be presentable (unless your dealing face to face with your clients, or students for online teachers). You don't need to put on makeup, high-heeled shoes, and wear business attire. You can work with any position you are comfortable with. You can work while lying in a prone position on your bed, or while resting your legs on the table. And what's more, fun is, you can turn on your music louder.
And you can earn more while learning more.
Time freedom, no commute, no dress codes, personalized working station, these things may sound appealing, however, the convenience and fun by working at home can comprise the health and well being as well because you are being cooped up at home all day.
As I have mentioned in my article Realization101: Don't Ignore Your Aching Frame, some of the health problems I have suffered from blogging includes:
Eye Strains
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Due to prolonged staring at the phone or computer for too long, the eyes are being strained just like what happened to me. This is what we call digital eye strain and is associated with dry and hurting eyes, blurry visions, headaches, and neck and shoulder pain.
Another health problems I have experienced are,
Neck, shoulder, and Arms Pain
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Sitting on the chair while facing the computer for too long will lead to body pain, especially in the back area, neck, shoulder, arms, and hands. In my case, I felt the worst pain in both of my arms due to prolonged usage of the phone. I was already straining my arms' muscles and veins because of the tapping of the phone when writing articles for a long period.
And for those who are using computers for long period, they are flexing their neck, and head forward and down when looking at a low monitor, which later will change their postures and causes stiff neck. And stretching the arms to the computer for long period can strain the muscles and will cause shoulder pain.
Wrists Pain
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Have you experienced wrist pain when using your phone or computer for a long time? Because I do. That is because our hands and wrists are not in a neutral position. This is one of my problems when using my phone in writing articles, especially that I have a quite fast speed in typing. I also have experienced this when I was working 8 in an FPO company, working with fast speed for more or less 8 hours a day.
Based on what I have learned, if we are using our hands for long period, we are putting strain on our tendons, they become inflamed, and put pressure on the median nerve. This is what we call carpal tunnel syndrome. If our hands are strained, we will feel that tingling, numbness, and muscle pain in our hands and fingers.
Tight Hips, Leg Cramps, and Back Pain
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When we are sitting 90 degrees for long period, our hip flexors become super tight because they are being squished. And that's the reason why we feel like 100 years old once we get up from the chair. And due to prolonged sitting, our body gets poor blood circulation that is why we are having leg cramps and other body pain.
Sitting for a long period also causes back pain especially in the lumbar part. And that pains in our body are telling us that we are working with a bad posture.
Lack Of Exercise and Getting More Fats
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Working at home gives us comfort. We can just slouch on the sofa on our back, legs are rested on the table, while our arms are stretched to grab foods on the side table. We can work while eating the whole time. However, it made our bodies so heavy to the point that we don't want to get up to grab some water or whatsoever.
It made our body lazy to exercise so we are having poor body posture, body pains, and more body fats. No wonder why many people working at home have big reserve fats in their belly.
Aside from blurry eye visions and body pains, working from home also affects our mental health.
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Have you noticed that? We lack motivation while working online. Sometimes, we easily get impatient and demotivated if our expectations are not met. The negative things we are seeing online while working at home are also affecting our mental state. The negative people we are dealing with can also influence our behavior.
And people working at home have difficulty in motivation because they are not required to get up early. They can decide whenever they want to wake up and sleep. They can just lounge around with pajamas all day. And since they are not facing the typical social norms of the workplace, they tend to do things that are not good in their motivation levels, like getting up early and looking presentable.
It also decreases our social life. Although I prefer this life, away from society, it's pretty rough in social life. Just imagine sitting in the four corners of your room for more than 8 hours and just facing the four corners of your computer, you will start to feel like being isolated. You will start missing out on your office life, being stuck in the traffic, your office friends, and the night galas and day getaways with them.
There is nothing wrong with working at home, but we should balance our time, our work, and our social life, listen to our body pains, and everything can be done but in moderation.
Schedule your work, the time you wake up and you sleep and give time for a break.
If you think you are staying long in front of your monitor already, give your eyes a break. Take a nap as much as possible.
Place your computer at eye level so your neck and shoulders are in a neutral position.
Refrain from slouching, maintain correct posture when sitting to avoid back strain.
If your chair is adjustable, adjust it so that your feet are flat on the floor.
Do stretching and do not just sit down all day, get up frequently. And as much as possible, do exercise in the morning for better blood circulation, but if you don't want to exhaust your body, then do yoga and meditation. It will not only help to relax our body, but it will also help to calm our mind.
Do not refrain from going out. Get some light, and jam with your friends and family more often.
We can make our online job more fun without straining our bodies and compromising our health and well-being. At this period of the pandemic, many people became jobless due to lockdown that leads to the economic crisis. So many are looking for earning opportunities online. Working at home also helps a lot of single-parent and plain housewives to earn extra income for their family.
A few months from now I will be facing full-time work at home. So I should prepare myself for the consequences that I might suffer and I should learn from the mistakes I have done while blogging here abroad.
And to make our work at home more enjoyable and meaningful, let's just take things into consideration and put everything in moderation. Always remember, health is wealth.
