Remote worker mental health isn’t something that was overly thought about before the pandemic. However, with the increase in the number of people working from home, awareness of how remote working can impact well-being is expanding.
Remote work offers many benefits, such as increased flexibility and more personal time. Yet the adaptability and convenience of the setup don’t make people free from stress. And it could even increase the risk of issues such as loneliness and anxiety.
Without a commute or built-in face time with colleagues, the boundaries between work and home life can blur. This can lead to remote work burnout, work-from-home depression, and a sense of isolation that can be hard to shake.
To help you better understand remote worker mental health issues, this page will cover:
Although not having to go into an office can be a major benefit, losing the built-in structure that in-person work provides can cause certain challenges. After all, an office provides a concrete start time, a commute that definitively separates work from home, and other people nearby for check-ins, collaboration, and socialization.
Without these daily anchors, many professionals can struggle to create boundaries on their own. One recent review of telework research found that the reduction in in-person interactions and blurred roles at home and for work are strongly linked to declines in psychological well-being.[1]
Furthermore, digital fatigue is definitely a real thing: video calls, digital communication platforms like Slack, and being expected to be reachable at all times can wear people down. Research on remote work stress has linked these items directly to higher rates of burnout, depression, and anxiety symptoms.[2]
Other factors can also contribute to worsening remote workers’ mental health, such as:
None of these factors necessarily cause harm on their own, but combined they can leave remote workers more vulnerable to occupational burnout and isolation.
Occupational burnout isn’t always obvious. Burnout, which is the physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion that causes decreased motivation and negative outlook, can be harder to spot in remote work. This is because there aren’t necessarily coworkers to notice shifts in behavior or surroundings in which these changes could become obvious.[3]
Some common signs of burnout related to an at-home work setup might include:
Job burnout can develop when you feel like you have little control over the work you’re doing and are struggling to maintain a good work-life balance. Both of these factors can be incredibly common in remote settings where the workday could stretch without a clear beginning and ending point.[3]
Loneliness from working remotely can also make things worse. Remote employees sometimes start to feel invisible, and feeling out of the loop can chip away at motivation and deepen feelings of isolation over time.
Finally, isolation and burnout can also play off one another: someone feeling lonely might throw themselves deeper into work to feel better, which can increase the risk of burnout. In turn, someone already feeling burned out might withdraw further from social contact, which can bring on more feelings of isolation.
Digital fatigue from things like back-to-back video calls, constant notifications, and screens that are always on can make people feel drained, even during a relatively light workday. In fact, digital fatigue can actually be one of the strongest predictors of digital stress.[4]
Video calls in particular can be exhausting. They demand sustained eye contact and constant self-monitoring in unique ways, calling for extra effort to process nonverbal cues via the screen (and increasing cognitive load in turn).[5]
Work-life balance can also take a hit, reinforcing digital fatigue. If work is entirely based on a screen, there’s often no clear start and endpoint to the day. Messages can come in at 9 AM or 9 PM, rarely with a clear signal to tell the brain that it’s okay to stop working. As a result, you might find yourself feeling tied to your laptop and phone, checking for new messages out of habit rather than necessity.
On the whole, digital fatigue can wear down your ability to focus and dial in, while a worn-down work-life balance can leave you precious little space to recover from fatigue. This can be a difficult cycle to break on your own.
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Left unaddressed, the combination of loneliness, burnout, digital fatigue, and high expectations can lead to more serious mental health concerns. In fact, the rise of remote work can account for around a third of the increase in isolation and mental distress among American workers over the last ten years. And the strongest effects are typically felt by those living alone.[6]
Before we consider appropriate treatment options, let’s first take a look at the mental health conditions remote workers frequently face.
Some remote workers experience remote work anxiety, or a persistent sense of uneasiness about aspects of their work, including:
While this is not a clinical diagnosis in and of itself, falling more under general anxiety disorders, it’s nevertheless a potential major issue.
Likewise, having work-from-home depression can carry all the hallmarks of non-work-related depression:
Chronic, unaddressed occupational burnout can cause issues with clinical depression or anxiety disorders over time, along with worsening potentially pre-existing conditions as well.
Getting support for remote work-related conditions doesn’t have to mean making a dramatic life change.
For example, individual therapy can give you the space to unpack your stressors and achieve balance. Therapists often lean on approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you note and shift the thought patterns that keep burnout and anxiety cycling.
Likewise, group therapy can be inherently valuable for remote work issues. It offers a social aspect to treatment and a place to speak with others who understand the isolation and pressures that can make things difficult.
If your symptoms have become severe and gotten in the way of your ability to get through the day, residential treatment could help. It can give you the surroundings, space, and support you need to rebuild your coping strategies and rethink your approach to work in the future.
Residential care usually pairs daily programming with more-intensive support, with outpatient-based options available as a step-down once you’re ready for more independence as treatment improves your symptoms.
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Anxiety support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.
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Working from home is, ideally, supposed to make your life easier. But if doing so has left you feeling exhausted and disconnected instead, then you might need some support. AMFM (A Mission For Michael) Mental Health Treatment is here to help.
AMFM Mental Health Treatment treats conditions like anxiety, depression, and burnout that are related to work-from-home (and otherwise), combining evidence-based approaches and other holistic interventions across a full spectrum of care. Our team of expert clinicians believes in treatment persistence and will personalize your treatment plan so you can achieve lasting, life-changing outcomes.
We offer an intimate, focused mental health treatment experience for adults in home-like settings that are carefully maintained to be peaceful, comfortable spaces. In addition to residential treatment, AMFM Mental Health Treatment also offers multiple levels of outpatient treatment.
Our locations in California, Minnesota, Virginia, and Washington accept insurance and are in-network with most major providers. To check your insurance coverage for mental health care, simply complete our confidential online verification form or call us at 866-478-4383.
Reach out to us if you would like to start the admissions process or learn more about how we can support your mental well-being. Our compassionate team is available 24/7 to answer your questions and provide guidance with no obligation.
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If working from home has started to impact your well-being, you might have some questions about how treatment could help. We provide the following answers to FAQs we commonly receive to provide as much clarity as possible.
No, not on its own. This usually describes something like major depressive disorder or persistent depressive symptoms that have been triggered by the isolation and blurred boundaries of working from home.
A licensed clinician can help you figure out any potential diagnosis and the appropriate treatment.
Many people can, with options like individual and group therapy fitting around a remote work schedule. However, experiencing more intensive symptoms might call for a higher level of care that would likely require someone to step away from their job on a temporary basis.
Treatment often focuses on rebuilding social connection and structure, along with work-life boundaries. These are typically areas that remote work tends to get in the way of most.
If your feelings of isolation or low motivation have gone on for several weeks and are affecting things like your sleep and relationships, then reaching out to AMFM Mental Health Treatment is likely worth it. Let us do a full evaluation and see how we can help.
At AMFM, we strive to provide the most up-to-date and accurate medical information based on current best practices, evolving information, and our team’s approach to care. Our aim is that our readers can make informed decisions about their healthcare.
Our reviewers are credentialed medical providers specializing and practicing behavioral healthcare. We follow strict guidelines when fact-checking information and only use credible sources when citing statistics and medical information. Look for the medically reviewed badge on our articles for the most up-to-date and accurate information.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate or out of date, please let us know at info@amfmhealthcare.com
