It’s more important than ever to make time for and look after yourself.

Now that we're spending much more time away from the usual hustle and bustle of every day life, it's so important to find the time to look after ourselves even more than usual. 

If you're still working from home, it can be really difficult to switch off from work and enjoy time to yourself. We've asked those of us still working at Ryman HQ for the best ways to take care of yourself, and here's 6 of the best ideas:

1. Get up and dressed

We promise it will feel better than staying in your PJs all day!  Whilst staying at home in your nightwear might be tempting, getting washed and dressed will help prepare both mentally and physically for a day working from home. Getting dressed will also increase your motivation to leave the house for your allowed exercise and wearing some of your favourite workout clothes can bring a little bit of joy to your day. Getting undressed and back into your PJs at the end of the day will help your brain to understand your working day is over and it's time to relax. 

2. Create a workplace temple

Create yourself a clean and organised workspace. Working from the sofa won’t support your productivity, so create yourself a sanctuary surrounded by things that inspire you. It will really help you focus the mind and achieve great things. 

Setting yourself up with some new office furniture and making a little workspace haven of your own, will really help to keep those creative juices flowing and will help to cheer up your day. 

Making sure you're still keeping hydrated, especially during the warm weather, is crucial. Finding a really lovely water bottle to complement your desk, can make hydration easy and stylish. 

It's also important during the warmer months to keep cool, so investing in a good quality fan is a great way to add the finishing touches to your new Home Office. 

3. Take time to reflect and document your thoughts

Taking time out each day to document your thoughts and feelings will really help to settle the mind and ease any feelings of anxiety. Reflect and note down a list of things you would like to do or achieve or simply sketch or colour for a while. Let your mind wander… you never know where you might end up.

There's so many different activities available to keep your mind active but calm; such as Adult Colouring, Bullet Journalling and taking part in fun activities with the kids. 

Most of all, it's important to have a time in the day where you begin to wind down and take some time to do something which brings you joy. 

4. Make a Playlist

There is no better feeling than when your favourite song comes on. Pull together a playlist of some of your most loved tracks. It's always good to throw in a few old classics as well as something new or from a genre you wouldn't normally choose. If music isn’t your thing then there’s a whole world of incredible podcasts available, so pop on some headphones and discover something new!

5. Get baking

Need we say more?  With baking comes good feeling! Dust off the cookie cutters and get creative. From cupcakes to cream cakes, cheese scones to vol-au-vents, making a sweet or savoury treat for your family is both therapeutic and tasty! 

We've even got ready-made kits to help create your baking masterpieces, if you're tired of making the same old banana bread!

6. Call your loved ones

This is an important one. Check-in with your loved ones and catch up on life. Family and friends are so important in times like these and, whilst we can’t meet in person, making sure we stay in touch will help everyone feel that little bit better. Put aside some time each evening and set up joint video calls. Seeing your nearest and dearest’s smiling faces is the best of ‘pick-me-ups!’

Stay safe, take care and make time for yourself.