The pandemic may have been one of the most unexpected events in this generation. Businesses stopped operating and people’s mobility has become limited. Companies have adopted a work-from-home setup for their employees.
According to a report, 21% of employed Americans were still in this setup as of March 2021. Unfortunately, new variants of the coronavirus are still emerging. It’ll take some time before the work-from-home setup can be totally abolished.
It looks like many people are still going to spend time at home. This also means that many tasks that you usually perform outside your house will be done indoors. But did you know that some of these tasks can make you prone to health risks?
Here are some of those activities you do frequently at home now that may pose danger to your health.
Drinking
Alcohol consumption has become a coping mechanism for some during the pandemic. While many tend to drink excessively when they go out, they tend to regulate themselves. Many factors can get someone to regulate their drinking while outside. Some are designated drivers for the night. Others just don’t want to act carelessly while drinking outside. The place where someone drinks can affect their behavior on alcohol consumption. That’s why if you’re drinking inside your house, there’s a possibility that you might overdo it. That’s because no one’s driving. You can drink a lot without worrying about how to get home cause you’re already home. You can manage to watch your behavior since you’re only drinking inside your house. Not to mention how access to alcohol can be easier and cheaper if you’re in the house. These can potentially affect your drinking habits.
Working out
This activity may seem harmless. But if you’re new to exercising, this may pose harm if you’re doing it unsupervised. You may have all the necessary equipment at home. But if there’s no one to spot you while you’re doing your bench presses, you may end up going to an urgent care clinic. This is why working out with fitness coaches and trainers is important if you’re new to fitness. They’re not just there to teach you how to do your routines. Coaches and trainers are also there to make sure that you’re doing everything safely. They help reduce the risk of injuries.
Working from home
There are a lot of health risks working from home may cause. One of them is your over-exposure to your computer screen. Digital eyestrain is a thing that you shouldn’t ignore. This can worsen dry eye symptoms. You may also not have appropriate desks and chairs for your home office. This can have negative effects on your posture. The same goes for your hands if you’re not comfortable typing on your home office desk. Working from home can also cause stress, anxiety, and exhaustion. This can be very common since the limits of your working time can blur when you’re working from home. Some tend to overwork during weekdays. They may do their work on weekends too even if it’s not necessary. Bosses can also get very adamant and tired with this setup, so they may take it out on you. This may cause you to receive the negative vibes your boss is giving off. That’ll be very unhealthy for your mental state.
Self-medication
Access to doctors became very limited during the pandemic. Some individuals became a little timid to visit hospitals too because of the virus. That’s why some people try to self-diagnose and self-medicate. You may think this doesn’t sound dangerous. That’s especially if the symptoms of your sickness feel familiar. But that’s what makes it riskier. COVID-19 symptoms are very similar to regular fever. You may be able to handle it by drinking over-the-counter medicines. But you may be unaware that you’re already spreading the virus. Worse is you may be giving it to someone who belongs to the vulnerable population. These people can get worse symptoms than the healthy ones so that’s very dangerous.
Isolation
Everyone’s familiar with how people were able to somehow contain the spread of the virus. People were asked to quarantine. This may be the best way to reduce the effects of the pandemic before vaccines. However, this has caused some people to suffer mental distress. The negative effects of isolation are harmful. With the uncertainty of the pandemic’s state, we’re all at risk of doing quarantine again. This is why having communication with friends has become a very significant part of home quarantine. Mental health is as important as your physical health. The pandemic must be contained amid the seemingly never-ending virus mutation. This has to be done, so we don’t have to do more quarantining in the future.
Home should be your haven. It’s supposed to be a safe place where you can be protected from health risks. But if you won’t take care of yourself, your health can still be in danger even if you’re only staying at home.
