How to Stay Positive Whilst Working From Home

Research has found that almost half (46%) of UK employees have admitted to experiencing loneliness whilst working remotely. Of that 46%, almost three-quarters (74%) were aged between 18–34, the most common age group here at Reboot. A 2021 survey also found that over a third of young workers had found it harder to make friends and maintain relationships with their colleagues when working from home.

While we cannot diminish the positives of remote working (saving money on travel and offices, increased time with family and loved ones, flexible working hours and locations, improved work-life balance, and more time for doing the things you love, to name a few), many of us do still struggle with loneliness.

What Is Loneliness?

Whilst loneliness can be defined as an “unwelcoming feeling of lack or loss of companionship”, it’s important to remember that it’s a different experience for each individual.

For example, remote working may be the ideal situation for some if they often have a full, loud house, so working from home gives them some time on their own before their raucous evening begins. However, for others that live alone, working from home might be less comforting, as going into an office may be the only time they experience face-to-face interaction.

How Can Loneliness Impact Our Physical and Mental Health?

Research has linked social isolation and loneliness to higher risks of:

High blood pressure
Obesity
Weakened immune system
Depression
Cognitive decline
Alzheimer’s disease

Ultimately, these factors are then likely to shape negative thinking, which can further have a detrimental impact on your state of mind.

What Is Negative Thinking?

Negatively thinking is generally categorised as thinking that is “associated with unpleasant emotions and adverse behavioural, physiological and health outcomes”.

Additionally, research from the University College London found that repetitive negative thinking is linked to:

Cognitive decline.
A higher number of harmful protein deposits in the brain.
Greater risk of dementia.

In the workplace, this is also likely to lead to:

Decreased motivation.
Lack of productivity and creativity—which are vital in a digital marketing agency.
Difficulty in maintaining relationships with colleagues and bosses.

How Do We Combat Loneliness Here at Reboot?

At Reboot, we are lucky enough to have several support systems currently in place to help reduce loneliness and encourage employees to talk to someone if things ever get too much.

As an SEO agency, we understand the power of communication and connection. That’s why we have several activities and support systems in place, including:

Rebook Club. This is our team book club, which involves like-minded bookworms choosing a book to read, with a monthly virtual “meet-up'' to discuss our thoughts and feelings about each novel.
Rebootiflix. Reboot’s film club involves movie nerds coming together to watch films on Netflix Party and openly discussing their thoughts on the film afterwards.
Reboot Wellbeing Scheme. Understanding that some of us require individual, private, and one-to-one support, Reboot has partnered with a highly regarded therapy service provider. Our team has access to free wellbeing and counselling sessions, all completely private, should anyone need to speak to a professional.

Having both social activities and discreet wellbeing support is key for work-from-home employees.

Reboot also introduced the four-day working week in 2021 to help expand opportunities to boost employee productivity and wellbeing.

Alasdair Lindsay, Digital PR Executive at Reboot said:

"Being part of the book club at Reboot has been really foundational to overcoming the challenges that come with working from home. Having an outlet with the Reboot team that has nothing to do with work has been really beneficial to building stronger connections with those that I work with on a daily basis, but also in creating a bond with people that I probably would not ever have crossed paths with otherwise!”

Positive Mental Attitude: What It Is and How It Can Help Us

A positive mental attitude is the act of approaching life’s challenges with a positive outlook. Some psychologists have framed positive thinking as an explanatory style—the way you explain why events happened.

In a remote working environment, such as digital PR, understanding your explanatory style can help you and your peers work to the best of your abilities.

Pessimistic Explanatory Style—Glass Half Empty or Negative Thinking

People with this explanatory style often blame themselves when bad things happen but fail to give themselves adequate credit for successful outcomes. They also tend to view negative events as expected and lasting. This can have a detrimental impact on your state of mind.

Examples of pessimistic explanatory style in digital PR and marketing include:

“There is no way this campaign is going to do well.”
“I didn’t reach the KPI for this campaign and it is all my fault.”

Having a pessimistic explanatory style can contribute to a feeling of helplessness in the workplace when faced with challenging or adverse situations.

Optimistic Explanatory Style—Glass Half Full or Positive Thinking

People with an optimistic explanatory style tend to give themselves credit when good things happen, and typically blame outside forces for bad outcomes. They also tend to see negative events as temporary or atypical.

Examples of an optimistic explanatory style in digital PR and marketing include:

“This is something I have never done before, it’s an opportunity for me to learn something new.”
“This is a very large dataset, let’s look at it from a difficult angle so I don’t overcomplicate things.”

Investing in a positive mental attitude at work can also help individuals:

Suffer less stress.
Develop better coping skills.
Increase overall confidence.
Improve focus.
Improve decision making.
Have better time management.

It’s important to remember, however, that it’s far from ideal to have a 100% optimistic explanatory style as this can lead to ‘toxic positivity’ (where a person brushes things aside, believing that everything will work out fine). Positive thinking and a positive mental attitude do not involve brushing things over but approaching difficulties with a positive outlook over a negative one.

Positive Thinking: How to Train your Brain

Instead of thinking “I’ve got so much work to do, but it’s okay because everything will work out in the end,” you should be thinking: “I’ve got so much work to do, let’s create a plan and prioritise the most important tasks.”

Positive thinking and a positive mental attitude are also not a switch that you can turn on. It is a psychological approach to help make personal and work-life challenges easier to approach. Like any muscle, your brain needs to be trained into thinking this way which will take time.

To start with, you need to be able to identify when you are talking to yourself negatively. This includes:

Filtering – Magnifying negative aspects of a situation and filtering out positive ones (e.g. not giving yourself recognition for all the hard work you have done, only thinking of all the work you haven’t done).
Personalising – Blaming yourself for things going wrong (e.g. not thinking about all of the other aspects or people that were involved in a task or campaign).
Catastrophising – Automatically anticipate the worst without proof that the worst will happen (e.g. not approaching a task because you think it’s not going to do well, with no facts to back it up).
Magnifying – Making a big deal out of minor problems (e.g. thinking one failed campaign means you’ll be getting fired).
Perfectionism – Keeping impossible standards and trying to be more perfect can set you up for failure (e.g. setting yourself a goal of 20 links for every campaign may sound good, but it is unlikely that you will get there each time. You’re then going to feel more demotivated the more that this doesn’t happen and are setting yourself up for failure).

Practising a positive attitude and identifying when you are talking to yourself negatively are important steps in staying mentally healthy in the workplace.

Things to Remember:

Exuding positivity and a positive mental attitude can be infectious among co-workers, and can lead to a boost in morale, productivity and creativity.

Here at Reboot, we have plenty of Slack channels that allow us to congratulate others on their success. Not only can this be incredibly well-received by the individual we are celebrating, but this rush of positivity for you and them can lead to a boost in optimism levels. A Harvard study also found that increased optimism levels help stave off cardiovascular disease as well as many other illnesses.

To recap:

If you are feeling lonely, reach out to colleagues—not just for work-related matters! Perhaps join a book club or something similar.
A positive mental attitude is not just a switch that can be turned on whenever. It is about training your brain and being mindful of when you are becoming negative.
Always recognise others' success, to boost optimism levels and in turn, limit the risk of illnesses in the future!