By now, many of us have experienced the perils that come from working virtually due to the pandemic closing many in-person workspaces. With this virtual workspace comes long hours of spending time inside of your room, sitting in front of your computer, and looking at your screen -- all of which could be detrimental to your long term health.

To help prevent many of these health complications, we have to ensure that we are working in an ideal environment, and with that comes the term workplace ergonomics. Workplace ergonomics is the idea of trying to reduce strain, fatigue, and injuries by optimally arranging your workplace. 

While this may sound like an easy task to accomplish, there are many small details that are often overlooked when designing an optimal workstation. In this article, we will breakdown three essential aspects of an ergonomically friendly workstation so that you can feel better while working from home: 

• Posture

• Screen viewing

• Fresh air

Posture

Posture is perhaps one of the most important aspects to ensuring that you will always feel your best while working. This is because having poor posture can often lead to joint and muscle pain on the upper half of your body. In turn, studies have shown that having pain in the shoulders, neck, hands, or arms all lead to decreased productivity.  

One of the best ways to alleviate this problem is to make sure that your workplace is furnished with ergonomic equipment, such as supportive chairs, right-height desks, and easy-to-use computer peripherals. Doing so will allow you to prevent many of the pains associated with poor posture, ultimately boosting your productivity.

Screen Viewing

Prolonged use of an electronic screen can cause a problem known as computer vision syndrome. This is an umbrella term for conditions that result from looking at electronic screens, which most often leads to dry eyes and eyestrain. 

The good news is that there are many ways to help combat dry eyes and eye strain. Our previous articles, “Do Blue Light Blocking Glasses Actually Work?” and “What Causes Dry Eyes with Contacts and How to Prevent Them” touch on some simple changes and actions that you can take. In regards to your workplace, the number one thing to do would be to place your computer screen about an arm’s length away, with your eyes being directly in front of the top portion of the screen. 

Fresh Air

There are many benefits that come along with being in a more “natural” environment. A study published in the scientific journal, Frontiers in Psychology, has shown that such benefits include lowered stress and reduced symptoms for depression and anxiety. All of these benefits eventually lead to having better mental health and productivity.

The easiest way to be in a “natural” environment would be to simply go outside. These outdoor breaks can be as quick as five minutes and as easy as just taking in a deep breath. These activities can be very easily sprinkled into your workday.

Unfortunately, not everyone has access to green space; however, there are alternatives to create a pseudo-natural environment. Some easy solutions to this problem can include adding small desk plants to our work environment or opening the shades to let in natural light. This would simulate being in a more natural environment, allowing you to reap similar benefits to actually going outside.

There is no doubt that working from home is challenging. At times, a pandemic-driven working situation causes us to feel anxious or stressed. But given our current situation, one of the best methods to boost your mental health is to have a friendly and welcoming workspace. So, the next time we go to sit at our desks, we should always remember to have good posture, be cautious on how we view our computer screens, and take breaks often to connect with nature.