(image: Helena Lopes, Unsplash).
New data has revealed that there has been a rise in interest in mental health advice for those working from home, with searches in England jumping up by 63% in the past year.
With over two-fifths (42%) of remote workers feeling that working from home has had negative impacts on their mental wellbeing, the experts at Choose Leisure wanted to share that there has been a stark interest in mental health support across the UK.
Dr. Hana Patel, NHS GP and GP Medico-Legal Expert Witness commented:
“Working remotely, or from home, can have lots of benefits but it can also be isolating and have a big impact on our mental health. Often, it might be difficult to manage boundaries when being out of the office environment, so here are some tips that can help maintain well-being” :
- Highlight of the day – “Each day, try to find one small thing you can take pride in or appreciate. You might find it helpful to create a list at the start of each day, and tick off everything you’ve done at the end.”
- Lunch self-care – “Make sure you take at least a 30-minute lunch break and eat in a different room from where you work. If you can, try to get some fresh air and go for a short walk.”
- Prep your tech – “Set up a ‘work’ and ‘personal’ login for your laptop, so that you can differentiate between the two – you could even use different screensavers and backgrounds to make the difference clear.”
- Meeting environment – “Distinguish between proper meetings and informal chats with your colleagues – if possible, designate different spaces for formal and informal conversations to help set boundaries.
- Fresh air, fresh mind – “Go for a walk as soon as you finish – this can act as a fake ‘commute’, and make it feel like you’re coming home after the working day has finished.”
- Prioritise breaks – “It’s easy to work longer hours and take fewer breaks when working remotely. Put a reminder in your diary for when you plan to finish working.”
(image: Mikey Harris: Unsplash)
Beyond mental health tips for remote workers, national search trends also reflect the growing concern for work wellbeing.
Choose Leisure utilised search engine analysis to reveal a spike in searches for ‘work from home health’, ‘WFH mental health’, ‘WFH wellbeing’, ‘WFH wellbeing tips’ and 1,446 related keywords.
Nationally, England has been recognised as the country with the largest rise in working from home mental health concerns in the UK, based on online searches.
In 2022, the terms were searched an average of 79,720 times a month, but this rocketed to 129,950 in 2024 – that’s a 63% surge! Scotland came second with a 36% uplift, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland with 35% and 12%.
| Searches for WFH Mental Health keywords | |||
| Location | 2022 | 2024 | % Change |
| England | 79,720 | 129,950 | 63% |
| Scotland | 9,690 | 13,220 | 36% |
| Wales | 6,880 | 9,310 | 35% |
| Northern Ireland | 6,090 | 6,800 | 12% |
Donna Bicker from Choose Leisure, who conducted the research said:
“It’s important for remote workers to understand they are not confined to four walls, their home office or any space you use for daily work.
“Working from home is designed to foster flexibility and improve work-life balance. With mental health concerns on the rise in the UK, finding an ideal workspace—whether at home, in a café, or even travelling in a motorhome—can be essential for improved mental well-being and productivity.”
This non sponsored blog was written by Choose Leisure.