More people are working from home now more than ever. Those who have never worked from home might be experiencing stress they’ve never felt before. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Learning how to avoid stress when you’re working from home can help you avoid the many health problems associated with increased stress, including TMJ pain. Here are our working from home tips.

man stressed while working from home

Develop a Schedule

One of the best working from home tips to help prevent stress is by setting yourself up with a  schedule. When you have a set schedule to stick to, it can prevent you from rushing through work after waking up late or working too late into the evening. If possible, stick to your usual schedule and let your housemates or family members know not to disturb you during those hours. Try to create as much normalcy in your work schedule as possible to avoid stress.

Create a Work Environment

If you have the space to create your own home office, this is a great way to stay productive and beat stress. Whether you have a designated room or carve out an area in your bedroom or living room, setting up a workspace is the best way to help your brain recognize where it needs to focus. It also helps to set up a distraction-free zone. If you live with other people and have to set up in a common area, ask them to keep noise and distractions to a minimum so you can concentrate. It helps to wear headphones to cut out background noise and distractions.

Take Advantage of Video Chat

If you need to ask a coworker or client a question or have a meeting, suggest doing it over video chat. This will help you get some face time in with someone other than who you live with. You can even get creative with your video chats and add in fun backgrounds behind your face to create some comic relief.

Take a Break

Don’t forget to take a break when you’re feeling stressed. Taking a walk around your block can help you clear your mind and release any tension you feel.

How Stress Affects TMJ

If you don’t address the stress you feel from working from home, it might affect your oral health. Oftentimes when people become stressed, they clench their jaw or tighten up their jaw. When there’s too much pressure on the TMJ, you might start experiencing jaw pain or frequent headaches. If you’re also clenching or grinding your teeth from stress, you might also be harming your teeth.

If you’re struggling with stress from working from home and it’s causing jaw pain and other symptoms of TMJ, please contact Palencia Dental to schedule an appointment. Dr. Kinsey can help determine if TMJ is the cause of your recent symptoms and provide you with a treatment to provide relief.