Category: Mental Health


Feb
2025

5 Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health as a Remote Employee

categories: Career, General Career Advice, Mental Health

Remote work is great. You can wake up late, skip the commute and work in your gymwear- but while it does come with its perks, the flip side is that all that alone time can take a toll on your mental health.

Without the usual office buzz or face-to-face interactions, it’s easy to slip into unhealthy habits that affect your well-being.

Here are 5 ways to take care of your mental health while working remotely:

1. TAKE YOUR LUNCH BREAK!

Yes, I am shouting at you. That is how strongly I feel about this point.

You might think that you don’t need a break because you’re working from home but this is a huge no-no. Just like you would take a break at the office, it’s crucial to step away from your desk. Use this time to eat something nutritious, relax, or even take a quick walk. Giving your mind a rest can boost your focus and productivity for the rest of the day.

2. Make Time to Go Outside

It’s easy to get stuck in the bubble of your home office, but stepping outside, even for just a few minutes, can do wonders for your mental health. Whether it’s a stroll down the street or just sitting in your backyard, fresh air and a change of scenery help clear your mind and reduce stress. The physical movement also releases endorphins, which are your brain’s natural mood lifters. Plus the longer you WFH, the easier it is to slip into a habit of little to no physical exercise.

3. Chat with Your Colleagues

When you’re working remotely, isolation can creep up on you. It’s important to make time to connect with colleagues, even if it’s just a quick check-in. These virtual coffee breaks or team calls provide a sense of community and help break up the monotony of working solo. Talking to others can provide both emotional support and a welcome distraction from work.

4. Set Clear Boundaries

One of the toughest things about working remotely is finding the balance between work and personal life. Without the physical separation of an office, it can be easy to work late into the night or overextend yourself. Set clear boundaries by creating a dedicated workspace, establishing a fixed work schedule, and sticking to it. When your workday is over, truly disconnect from your job to recharge and enjoy your personal time. Which brings us to our next point….

5. Make Time for Self-Care

Whether it’s doing a quick meditation, stretching, or diving into your favourite book, make time for activities that help you relax and recharge. Your mental health is just as important as your job performance, and taking care of yourself ensures that you stay balanced and productive in the long run.

While remote work offers convenience and several perks, it’s important to invest time and effort into managing your mental health to make the most of it. Taking care of your mental well-being while working remotely is essential for staying productive and happy. By incorporating these simple practices into your routine, you’ll find that remote work can be both fulfilling and sustainable.


Oct
2024

What Does It Mean to Decenter Your Career?

categories: Career, General Career Advice, Mental Health

For many of us, our careers have become the cornerstone of our lives. It’s how we define success, measure our value, and gauge our self-worth. We hustle, grind, and pour ourselves into work, believing that climbing the ladder is the key to fulfilment. But what happens when that ladder starts to wobble- or worse, breaks entirely?

Decentering your career doesn’t mean you stop caring about your work or abandon your ambitions. Instead, it’s about shifting your focus. It’s about recognising that your career is just one piece of the puzzle- not the whole picture. You work to live. You don’t live to work. When you decenter your career, you give yourself the freedom to place value on other parts of your life, like relationships, passions, health, or personal growth.

For me, decentering began with small realisations. I used to define myself by my job title, by how well I performed, and how much I achieved. But after facing potential retrenchment and the loss of my cousin, I realised that no amount of career success could fill the void left behind. I had to ask myself: What is my life really about?

Decentering your career means accepting that while work can be meaningful, it shouldn’t be the sole driver of your happiness. It’s about finding balance, rediscovering the joy in things outside of work, and creating a life that feels fulfilling- whether you’re working or not.

In this series, I want to explore what decentering looks like in practice, why it’s important, and how it can change the way you view success. If you’ve ever felt burned out, overwhelmed, or like you’re chasing something that never quite satisfies, this is for you. Let’s rethink what it means to live a truly balanced, fulfilling life- starting with our relationship to work.


Aug
2024

Everything You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Nintendo Switch

categories: Lifestyle, Mental Health

I am utterly obsessed with my Nintendo Switch. I have no idea what I did with my life before I had this console (I was probably far more productive though). Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just looking for a new way to unwind, the Nintendo Switch is a versatile device that packs a big punch. But before you dive in, let’s break down everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch:

Which Switch is Which?

The Nintendo Switch actually comes in 3 different versions. While it’s marketed as “there’s a switch for everyone”, I personally believe that you should have atleast TWO devices (Did I mention that I was obsessed? I was not kidding). But here’s the differences between each Switch:

  • Nintendo Switch Standard: This is the OG Switch. It’s got the full hybrid experience: dock it for TV play, or undock it and play on the go. Perfect if you like variety and flexibility in how you game. It’s cheaper than the OLED but more expensive than the Switch Lite. The battery life does last longer here than the Switch Lite.

  • Nintendo Switch Lite: The Lite is handheld only, which means no TV play. It’s also smaller, lighter, and comes in a range of cute colors. Great for those of us who are always on the move or just want something more compact. The battery life isn’t too great here which is why I kinda wish I had just gone for a regular Switch.

  • Nintendo Switch OLED: This is the newest addition to the family. Think of it as the standard Switch, but with a bigger, brighter OLED screen, enhanced audio, and a wider adjustable stand. If you’re all about that vibrant display and immersive experience, this one’s for you. If you compare the Nintendo Switch OLED side by side to the Nintendo Switch, the difference is clear. However the OLED feels a bit uncomfortable to me which is why I settled for the Switch Lite’s smaller size.

Personally I feel like the OLED would be great for a TV screen and the Switch Lite is great for handheld play.

What Games Do You Want to Play?

Your choice of device might also depend on the type of games you’re itching to play.

If you’re more into local multiplayer games (think “Mario Kart” with friends) or prefer high-intensity single-player adventures, the standard or OLED models will give you the best of both worlds. But if you’re just looking to cosy up in bed with some casual gaming, the Lite could be a match made in heaven.

Accessories – What’s Worth It?

You can’t just buy a Nintendo Switch on it’s own. This is something that bugged me but R5k was a console was alot and there was alot of other accessories that I needed to go with it. So what do you actually NEED with a Nintendo Switch?

Screen Protector: 100% yes. A small investment to keep your screen scratch-free.

Carrying Case: If you plan on taking it out of the house, get one. I bought one initially and now I have no clue where it is.

Extra Joy-Cons or Pro Controller: The Joy-Cons that come with the Switch are fine, but a Pro Controller is a game-changer, especially for longer gaming sessions.

Memory Card: The internal storage fills up fast, especially if you’re a digital download kind of person. Grab a microSD card with at least 128GB.

Is it Worth the Hype?

Look…I might be biased but I believe it is definitely worth it! The Nintendo Switch is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for a gaming console that offers flexibility, portability, and a great library of games. It’s got something for everyone – whether you’re into deep RPGs, quick indie games, or just want to beat your friends in “Super Smash Bros.”

The Nintendo Switch gaming community is also super-supportive which doesn’t hurt things either.

Now that you have an idea of what options are out there, you can go pick the console that’s best for you and let the gaming adventures begin.


Aug
2024

How Being Cosy Helped My Mental Health

categories: Lifestyle, Mental Health

I first discovered Cozy K somewhere on TikTok. Her account was soothing and made me so happy. I felt like she was living a dream. She had a cozy gaming room. She had blankets and books and lots of fun stuff that made my inner child so so happy.

While this was going on, I had been trying to heal my inner child myself. I had discovered Disney Dreamlight Valley (I can’t remember where but I’m guessing probably TikTok as well) and the plot as well as the game itself made me realise how badly burnt out I was and how I desperately needed help.

I had a history of burning out towards the end of the year but the problem was this time I couldn’t fix it. My burnout was a result of a number of things that were out of my control. To fix it, I decided to fix on what I could control and in order to bring joy to my life, I decided to start doing cosy stuff.

Since the journey to healing my inner child began with a videogame, I decided to revisit the Sims 4 one weekend. Once again, I was hooked. For Christmas, I purchased a Nintendo Switch with Animal Crossing and I fell in love once more.

And so it continued. Based on Cozy K’s recommendations and some deep journaling that I did to try and figure out what makes me happy, I was able to rediscover hobbies that I had long since put away. They were small, silly things that brought me so much joy. Journalling, colouring, watching 90s movies.

It didn’t take long before weekends were cheaper and more fun because I was indulging in things that I actually enjoyed instead of boring adult stuff that society said I SHOULD be doing.

The thing that bugged me is why don’t we talk about hobbies more as adults? I really believed that adulthood was working and paying bills until you died. What about fun? When and why did we stop having fun?

Being an adult means being able to do whatever you want. Yeah, ice cream for dinner is unhealthy but what if you did indulge once in a while?

Buy the toy. Use the colouring book. Start a new hobby. This is YOUR life and you can make it anything you want it to be.


May
2024

How to Create an At-Home Spa Day

categories: Lifestyle, Mental Health

Winter is coming. So I am all about the staying home and being cozy vibes. One of my favourite at-home activities is a spa day. There’s something so relaxing about a few hours of self-care even if it is in the comfort of your home. Here are a few tips to help you have your own spa day:

1. Pick Out Your Treatment

Have some fun with the whole experience. Pick out what your “treatments” will look like. An everything shower? A long bubble bath? Facial? Manicure? Decide beforehand on what you’re doing and make sure you have everything ready.

2. Set the Mood

You could light some candles or play some relaxing music. I love using Spotify to play ocean sounds or the sound of rain whenever I’m having a spa day. You could dim the nights or use scented diffusers to enhance the spa vibes.

3. Gather Your Spa Essentials

By this I mean all your products but also fun stuff like cozy pjs and snacks. This time is all about you so go all out! Use the super fluffy towels. Bring out your plush robes, face masks and scented bath salts.

4. Make a Drink

Stay hydrated throughout your spa day by sipping on infused water, herbal teas, or even a refreshing green smoothie. Infuse your water with slices of cucumber, mint, or berries for a spa-like touch.

In the interest of transparency, I’m going to come out and admit that my drink is almost always coffee but hey my spa, my rules. (And therefore YOUR spa, YOUR rules)

Have you ever tried at home spa day? What is your go-to products? Let me know below.


Apr
2024

6 Cozy Hobbies to Start for Winter

categories: Lifestyle, Mental Health

Yes I know Winter is still some time away. But Durban has exchanged its scorching sun for some occasional rain which means that we need to start planning for Winter. I don’t make the rules.

Here are 6 cozy hobbies that are perfect to start for Winter:

1. Reading

Obviously I’m starting with this because this is a book blog. Pick out a few books from your bookshelf or local library and dig in.

2. Baking

Winter is the perfect time to learn a new baking recipe or perfect an old one. Bonus points you get to enjoy the treats afterwards.

3. Video Games

Okay hear me out. I know video games are often considered something for kids but why do we have to adult? Being an adult is tough. Just give me a pillow fort and a few hours with a mindless game or two.

4. Colouring

This is great for destressing no matter what the season. Get an adult colouring book and some colouring pencils and watch your stress melt away.

5. Scrapbooking

This is an excellent way to take a walk down memory lane as well as clear the space on your devices (or cloud). Print out your photographs and create a scrapbook. Not only is this hugely fun, you’d also be making a keepsake for yourself.

6. Writing/Journaling

This is a great way to get things off your chest while possibly developing a new skill. Get a book- any book would do- and start writing.

What cozy hobbies do you include in? I’d love to know.


Nov
2023

5 Symptoms of Burnout (and How to Combat Them)

categories: Career, General Career Advice, Mental Health, Welcome to The Real World

Not every day at work is going to be perfect. Trust me- I love my job but there are days where I just wish I had stayed in bed. That being said, if you’re having more bad days than good, you might be suffering from burnout. Here are a few symptoms that I use personally to tell when I am burning out and tips on combating them. Note that this is to fix symptoms. Fixing burnout itself takes time and effort. This is basically my band-aid solution until you are able to take time off for yourself to heal.

1. You’re irritable or impatient.

You might be incredibly cynical or critical at work. This is one of my personal triggers and the second I start losing patience with colleagues, I start to question if it’s just a bad day or if I am on the way to burnout.

The Fix: Notice when you keep getting more annoyed than usual and track your triggers. I do this by keeping a journal. When I know it’s burnout season, I try to be kinder both to myself and others.

2.You lose interest in your job.

You feel like going to work is a huge effort and so is doing your job itself. Again, everyone has bad days but if this is happening more often than not, you might be experiencing burnout.

The Fix: Make a list of all the things you like about your job. You wouldn’t still be at your job if there wasn’t something positive about it. This is also a great time to start gratitude journaling. I remember one coworker who was having a tough time at work and her gratitude list started off with “Sushi”. (TBH the work environment was super-stressful but I loved that she could find a positive aspect).

3. You’re struggling to sleep

This one is probably the most tricky to fix. Maybe you’re having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Maybe you’ve been using your bedtime as a form of revenge procrastination, pushing it further and further until it’s 2AM and you realise you have work in a few hours. Whatever it is, sleep is vital for your performance as a functioning human.

The Fix: Try to keep similar sleeping and waking times. Keep your bedroom dark and cool. Come up with an unwinding routine that brings you joy. I absolutely love tea followed by 30 mins of reading.

4. You’ve developed unhealthy coping mechanisms like food, alcohol or shopping

This is another one of my trigger items and honestly all I can say is keep an eye for it. This is another tricky one but helps if you have a partner to hold you accountable.

The Fix: Try to get a buddy to monitor when these get out of control. I work virtually but my friends and I have the habit of checking on each other when it comes to lunch because we’re guilty of skipping meals when things get busy.

5. You have physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches or body pain

Physical symptoms can either result from you working too hard or in an uncomfortable position. Or it can be a result of the stress.

The Fix: Again, track what your triggers are. Are you taking regular breaks away from your desk? Are you sitting in one position for too long? Does your chair need an upgrade?

The best way to combat burnout is to analyse what is going on, what is causing your symptoms and fix the root of the issue. But if you can’t or you’re not willing to put in the time (talking to myself there but the year end is right around the corner), treating the symptoms will help…up to a point.

The faster you treat burnout, the faster you’re able to be you again.


Oct
2023

Life Update: I Made My Bed

categories: Mental Health

You’re probably thinking: “Who cares?” or “That’s a little too personal- why weren’t you making your bed to begin with?”

Let me explain.

For a little over a year, I stopped making my bed, convinced that it was the reason that I burned out in the first place. I had been reading Atomic Habits and the first positive change I made was to make my bed. That small win gave me a little thrill. And so for the rest of the workday, I would chase thrills. I would walk in at 7AM and immediately start working. When the rest of the team came in at 8, I was halfway done with my list for the day and would just start doing additional work. If there was work that needed to be done after 5, I would stay in and do it.

It didn’t last long. I can’t pinpoint how or when but eventually I took on too much. I was making small mistakes. I had brain fog, migraines and body pain. I was losing patience with anyone and everyone who didn’t match my speed of work or anyone who I saw as slowing me down. What do you mean we still need approval for this? YOU’RE HOLDING THE PROJECT UP!

This line would play in my brain in a constant loop

Eventually I reached my breaking point. I would cry constantly but did nothing to change my job. It was nearly the end of the year. I just needed to push through. Everyone struggled this time of the year.

But when a random person messaged me on LinkedIn asking me if I was interested in a content writer position, I agreed to speak to them.

I wasn’t in the job market and until I got that message, I never thought about content writing. Sure, I ran a blog but I was training to be a copywriter.

(At the time however, my workload consisted of a combination of different things).

The job was perfect. So I took it. It was a WFH role and I loved it. But for months afterwards, I refused to make my bed.

I automatically associated the bed with the source of my burnout. So I would wake up, go on with my day and then make the bed before I went to sleep for the night.

Yesterday marked 11 months in my new role (something I didn’t actually realise until now). Today was the first day I made the bed. I didn’t do it as soon as I woke up but I was passing the room and saw the bed wasn’t made. I made it and went on my way. And then realised what I had done… I had made my bed.

It took a few months for me to recover from the burnout and I was grateful that I was still able to work through it. But until I made my bed, I had no idea how much the whole thing weighed on me. It felt like leaving a chapter behind me. Like by making my bed, I was finally okay.


Oct
2023

On Losing Your Sense of Self in A Job

categories: Mental Health

I’ve hit rock bottom enough times to know what it looks it.

Even so, each and every time I’m surprised when it happens. Like, this again? I thought I was done with this nonsense.

This time, I knew for certain it was my fault. I had felt it building up. I felt The Dark Place calling. And I ignored it. I pushed myself harder, worked more, made more lists, tried to push for productivity.

When I realized that I was nearing burnout and that pushing myself wasn’t yielding results, I stopped. It wasn’t supposed to be a permanent thing. It was supposed to be a break.

But one week turned into two and then three months later, I was curled on my couch with a glass of wine, bawling my eyes out and contemplating taking allergy medication just so I could feel all nice and fuzzy instead of miserable.

The trigger? My father being rushed into hospital after showing signs of a mild heart attack and a meeting with someone that forced a mirror in front of me and the way that I had been living my life.

I felt lost. This wasn’t me. I was the girl with all the goals and the to-do lists. I was the girl who studied, ran a blog, wrote online, worked on a novel all while still working in a toxic environment. HOW did I get here?

I didn’t know it at the time but I was the problem. I was so excited to be working in Marketing that I had neglected my mental and physical health. I wish I could say that I fixed it but I didn’t. No, instead I moved from Performance Marketing to Event Marketing and a few months later, had the same issue. I had thrown myself headfirst into learning everything I could and (again) neglected my own health. So when a job opportunity to be a content writer arrived, I took it.

Can you guess what happened then? Yep, another six months and I felt myself getting sick again. This time I refused to let it get me. I had worked for years! YEARS! All I ever wanted was to be a content writer and I was not going to let me stand in the way. I took a few days off and actually did disconnect. I stayed away from work email and messages. And when I logged back…there was nothing waiting for me. It was an actual break. I was appalled. I had never had that happen to me before.

Moral of the story: Take a break if you need to. Always put your health first. ESPECIALLY if you can tell that burnout is on its way.


Oct
2023

Mental Health Awareness Month

categories: Mental Health

Mental Health Awareness Month is observed in October in South Africa. Every year I come up with content and it just never seems to make it to the publish stage. It’s difficult for me to talk about mental health especially MY mental health without mentioning my former toxic workplace. I am hoping that this year will be different. I’ve planned a variety of blog posts looking into how you can take better care of your mental health. These are just things that worked for me- I am not a healthcare professional or a mental health professional. However if you need someone to talk to, you can contact the Mental health awareness helpline at 0800 567 567 or the South African depression and anxiety group at 0800 121 314.

Follow

Get the latest posts delivered to your mailbox: