5 Years of Remote Work: How I lost my health and social life (and how you can avoid it)

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working remotely for 5 years now, right after COVID. Honestly, I still love it. The freedom to work from any country, no crowded metros, and saving all that commuting time and money is great.

But there’s a catch that I learned the hard way.

In the beginning, everything feels amazing. But slowly, I realised I was becoming socially cut off. My entire world moved online. My “offline life” was basically just dinner with my family.

I only used to go out when I had a specific reason, like meeting a friend or my boyfriend. But my boyfriend lives in another city, so we only meet once in a month or two. Friends also meet maybe once in 4-5 months. Since I stay with my family, I realised I was shrinking into this tiny comfort zone.

The habit of going out alone, observing things, or just being in the real world slowly died. When you don’t step out, your mind starts to feel trapped. Overthinking, anxiety, and feeling like you have no “space” starts to happen. I didn’t realize when I became so lethargic and isolated.

What happened to my health:

It creeps up on you. Digestion problems, overweight, fatty liver, and a massive Vitamin D deficiency. I thought I was just tired from 12+ hours of work, but it was actually the lack of movement and sunlight.

I still think remote work isthe best, but we have to be smart about it.

My advice to fellow remote workers:

1. Don’t stay home all the time: Try to work from a cafe or a library at least 3 days a week. It changes your environment and keeps your brain active.
2. Go out alone too: Don’t wait for a plan with friends or family. Just go out, walk, observe people, and be in the real world. It’s a great exercise for the mind.
3. Physical activity is a must: Yoga, gym, or just a walk in the sun. Don’t let your body rust in those four walls. I recently joined Yoga classes and seriously my body is thanking me for doing extra movements and mentally I also feel good.
4. Choose OFFLINE activities: You won’t believe it, but when I thought about joining a fitness class, my Instagram feed got flooded with online course suggestions. Make sure you don’t fall for that. Otherwise, you’ll just move from one screen to another. Look for real, offline classes where you meet people in person.
5. Internet is prime, but so is your routine: We always make sure we have the best internet, but we forget to fix our schedule. Set a logout time.

Online life will give you money and comfort, but offline life keeps you fit and connected to reality. Don’t lose yourself in your room.

Would love to knowif others have felt this way and how you guys stay connected to the real world?