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Working from home is not for everyone.
Here are couple of things to try.
1. Every morning dress up as if going to work before you start
2. Have a strict schedule to take good breaks. Specially after lunch go for a good walk for around 45 minutes
3. When done with work go for a ride in the car to disconnect
4. Stay away from your work area after you are done
I wouldn't leave out talking to a good therapist before it is too late.
I had to turn my kitchen's dining area into my "office," but because I like working from home this sacrifice wasn't too onerous. It's not entirely pretty, however, even with art on the wall. Zoom and some other meetings apps have a feature that obscures your background. I understand that sometimes there's no visually suitable spot available, especially if you're living in an apartment or with other people. That might help allay some of your situational anxiety, at least.
Living in Tucson, I also have sympathy for your concern about heating/cooling all day. My electric bill went up noticeably when I started working partly from home last year and had to keep the place at livable temperatures.
But, as others have said, you need to get your underlying anxiety under control, too. I have sympathy for that, too.
Was the additional HVAC cost greater than the commuting costs you were able to pocket? If not, you need new windows or something.
OP, I may be off base, but it sounds as if you're trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit of some kind against your employer. If so, better hope I'm not on the jury...
No offense, but sounds like you need some therapy now. You should be thankful you have the opportunity to work from home instead of being out of work, like so many others. My daughter in law has been on furlough for months and may never be called back, as the convention industry has taken a nosedive. My son owns a small restaurant and has been struggling to keep his head above water. I feel lucky I was able to transition to a WFH environment and keep a steady paycheck coming in. Try to see the positive side of your situation and you'll feel better.
Agree the OP should be thankful. My hub was out of work since NJ shut the state down in March, they went back the end of July but he had broken his hand so couldn't start until 10 weeks ago. He had taken a job at Sam's club that shut off his unemployment. We would have been better off had he stayed home collecting. He broke his hand at Sam's which they're denying happened there. He's keeping it as a weekend job.
Now we have to play catch up with bills that weren't paid
I don't think it is helpful to tell the OP how they have it better than someone else. Anxiety is very real and can't just be turned off.
Some people are having a terrible time with WFH. This surprised me but it is how they feel and it is valid. Just like commuting and dealing with a toxic on-site work environment causes some people major anxiety.
Was the additional HVAC cost greater than the commuting costs you were able to pocket? If not, you need new windows or something.
OP, I may be off base, but it sounds as if you're trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit of some kind against your employer. If so, better hope I'm not on the jury...
Oh, good heavens, no! Why on earth would I want to sue my employer? My commute to work was very cheap, so yes, keeping my apartment livable in record-heat-breaking summers is much more expensive here in the desert. but I prefer working from home anyway. I have no control over the windows. I
I mentioned that only to let the OP know that I sympathize with the inconveniences she mentioned.
Back in 2019, the employer once told us to telework so they could renovate the office, and I had a noticeable anxiety attack in the meeting room due to not knowing if my internet at home could support it or if I would just have to burn through my vacation time. Though they did eventually let me stay, this left somewhat of a scar on me.
Then in March of this year, when there were only about 1,000 cases of COVID-19 in all of America, my employer was already starting to talk about telework. For those couple of weeks between then and when everything closed down, I thought it was an absurd over-reaction because I expected this to die out like SARS and Ebola, and that it was just another media brouhaha . Though they proved right, the anxiety I suffered for that fateful week or two, and anger at what I believed was an asinine over-reaction, has continued to take a toll on me. I find myself suffering bouts of anxiety at the thought that when this pandemic is over, they are going to shut things down the next time there is a Swine Flu/Bird Flu/Ebola scare even if it does not become a pandemic. To me, forced telework feels like an intolerable invasion of privacy because the employer is effectively imposing requirements on where you can live, in the sense that you have to have enough space for a home workspace, fast internet, and comfortable climate control on all day, plus accepting the possibility that you have to show co-workers the inside of your own home and the possibility of misplacing work-related items in your home . I also find myself suffering anger whenever business executives eat at a dangerous restaurant while simultaneously telling employees to telework because of COVID-19, which due to my psychological problems, feels like an intolerable hypocrisy. Last weekend I almost went into a rage and had to talk to a friend to calm myself down.
Can this pass, or will I need therapy post pandemic?
COVID is stressful for everyone but you are not telling us anything extraordinary that is not experienced by anyone else. Many are experiencing worse - health issues, illness, family death. In fact the causes you list for anxiety are, to be frank, underwhelming.
Yes you do need therapy - for anxiety disorder - in order to help you cope in life. Because if you can't deal with the situations you indicated you will have difficulty with the rest of life.
Oh, good heavens, no! Why on earth would I want to sue my employer? My commute to work was very cheap, so yes, keeping my apartment livable in record-heat-breaking summers is much more expensive here in the desert. but I prefer working from home anyway. I have no control over the windows. I
I mentioned that only to let the OP know that I sympathize with the inconveniences she mentioned.
Miscommunication - I asked you (Archaic) about whether your additional costs to keep your home cool were more or less than the commuting cost you no longer had. But my question regarding "suing their employer" was directed at the OP, not you - it sure did sound like they were "disgruntled" and blaming their employer for their underlying anxiety. Employers are under a lot of stress with the pandemic (along with their employees), and I think that working from home solves a whole lot of problems for everyone.
It's interesting that your costs were not outweighed by the savings from not having to commute - I used to drive about 5000 miles per year for my commute (before retirement) - at approximately $0.55 per mile (what the IRS reimburses you for car expenses when you travel for work), it would have been a great savings for me to be able to work from home, and that's not even counting the extra hour I wouldn't have to spend on the road every day. Anyhoo, Cheers!
LOL! I feel better now, Curly. Yes, electric bill has gone up about $20-30 a month from my increased use of electricity from having to run the a/c or a fan more often, plus lights, the computer, a printer, and all of that. My commute was almost free.
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