How to be able to take true rest days when you are sick and work from home

According to the journalists of theEconomist, Gone are the days when you could take sick days. Or rather: if you are sick, you may even stay at home and, on paper, you are ill. But that doesn’t mean really putting work on hold. The emails and phone calls from colleagues and bosses often and willingly do not stop for the “only” reason of being sick. All this would be a disadvantageous consequence of the months of lockdown and pandemic, when working from home has become the reality of many and the boundaries between love and private life have become dangerously thin, if not non-existent. But how to regain the right to stay sick and rest without getting caught up in anxiety, guilt and the widespread impostor syndrome that makes us forget our priorities and even our health? An expert explains it to us.

How to (really) rest when you are sick and work from home

Explain the psychologist and psychotherapist Elena Welcome: «Ideally we should work upstream, anticipating the problem and trying to create one clear line of separation between space and time for work and that dedicated to personal life. It is a mindset that helps to “leave” work at the end of the day or when we are sick and we need days dedicated to rest and healing. Obviously when you work in smartworking it becomes more complicated keep these spheres separate, but it is necessary to practice so that stakes are placed. Where to start? For example making an effort not to answer after an X time or during the weekend. Or by creating a telephone number intended only for business contacts. This will come in handy when you need to take sick days ».

Set healthy stakes with assertiveness. How is it done in practice?

“Illness is not optional”, emphasizes Dr. Benvenuti. “To heal and recover energy and strength, rest and sleep are essential: we must first convince ourselves and avoid wanting to be at the PC one day after the operation or with a fever of 39. In practice, if you are sick and work from home start by sending a message in which you communicate that you are sick and that you will not be available for a number of days. Avoid spending the day at your workstation and don’t let yourself be tempted by work calls and messages. Calmly, when you feel like it, plan the days of your return, creating an orderly and detailed to do list that gives priority to all the most urgent activities, avoiding as much as possible to concentrate everything on the same day. If you have trusted co-workers or colleagues, ask for help e delegate some tasks. Then, when you are well, you will be willing to repay the favor with pleasure. A step at a time”.

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