Here are six tips to help avoid the pain that can come from a makeshift home office during this work-from-home ( WFH) period.
MANY of us are currently working from home during the conditional movement control order.
While it is an excellent precaution to avoid catching the SARSCoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 (not to mention other viruses and bacteria), you might find that your makeshift home “office” is causing you pain in your neck, shoulders and back.
Working for extended periods of time at your dining or coffee table is not great for your body and overall health.
Without those adjustable office chairs, you have to be extra conscious of your posture and routine if you want to combat the stress and strain that come from sitting in a compromised position all day long.
Fortunately, there are cheap and creative ways to make your work-from-home set-up more ergonomic.
Stay comfortable and avoid back pain while you work remotely for the foreseeable future with these tips.
Elevate your workstation
At work, your desktop or laptop is at a work station with an adjustable chair.
But at home, working for 40plus hours a week at your dining table can lead to back, shoulder and neck strain.
Laptops are never good ergonomically as the monitor is usually too low.
Ideally, the top of your monitor should be just below you eye level, so that you don’t have to strain your neck while reading.
If you’re working on a reading-intensive task, prop your laptop up on objects (like a stack of books or shoeboxes) so that it’s at your eye level.
You can also invest in an external monitor or a laptop stand.
When you need to type, do lower your laptop to a level that allows your arms to be comfortably bent at 90° angles while doing so.
Work at the appropriate height
The height of your workstation at home should be one that naturally allows your elbows to be at the same level as the table, desk or counter.
This will promote better wrist alignment and help avoid stiffness and stress on the carpal tunnel.
If compulsory working from home stretches on (as appears to be happening), you might want to invest in an appropriate office chair for your home workstation.
You should look for chairs that have adjustable height and back rests, as well as arm rests and good lumbar support.
A wheeled chair will allow you to easily adjust your distance from the computer and move it around
if necessary. The features of a good office chair will save you from much lumbar and neck discomfort, and is worth the investment.
Elevate your feet
Supporting your feet on an elevated surface or stretching your legs creates better blood circulation as you work throughout the day.
Ideally, your hips and knees should form 90° angles when you sit in your chair.
Place your feet on a few books or shoeboxes under your desk, so that your thighs are parallel to the floor and your hips slightly higher than your knees.
This will reduce stress on your lumbar spine.
When you start feeling stiff, move your feet back and forth.
Use the 20/20/20 rule
This rule states that for every 20 minutes spent looking at your computer screen, take 20 seconds to look at something else that is at least 20 feet (6m) away.
This will give your eye muscles a break and reduce eye strain.
Vary your position
It’s crucial to vary your posture throughout the day as sitting in the same position all day long is the quickest way to getting back, neck and shoulder pain.
For some variety, move to different places around the house throughout the day.
Make one spot your main workstation, but also move to a place where you can stand to work, change tables or rooms, or sit on your couch for short periods.
But do not turn your couch into your main workstation!
As tempting as it sounds, the couch is not an optimal place to work at your computer for the entire day.
While it may be comfortable, having your legs or whole body in a horizontal or diagonal position can lead to muscle numbness and discomfort.
Instead, you can make your main workstation more comfortable in several ways.
Placing a thin pillow or cushion on your seat can make a regular chair much more comfortable.
Draping a soft fleece blanket over the back of your chair is also a small thing that can make your chair feel plush.
To reduce lower back pain, add a rolled towel between your chair and lower back for lumbar support.
Take regular breaks
Because we don’t have an official lunch hour while working from home, it’s easy to snack on small things while working throughout the day instead of eating a proper lunch.
Cooking a meal and staying hydrated gives you the opportunity to stand up and allow your eyes to rest from the glare of the computer screen.
Set boundaries so as not to be tempted to work through the night by sticking to your regular work hours or usual number of hours at work.
Most people take breaks to walk around when they’re in the office, but when you’re at home, there may be a tendency to forget to do this and keep going without enough breaks.
Stay active
Set a timer to go off every hour to remind yourself to take a break for three to five minutes.
Walk around, do some basic stretches or take the chance to finish some quick chores like washing the dishes from lunch or folding the laundry.
Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar
Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar is a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, and a functional medicine practitioner. For further information, email starhealth@ thestar.com. my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government made the decision to reopen businesses on Monday to prevent economic losses of close to RM100 billion.
In a live address, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the country has already lost up to RM63 billion for the duration of the movement control order (MCO) since it began on March 18.
Most economic sectors in Malaysia will open from Monday (May 4) with health protocols in place, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in his Labour Day message.
In his speech that was broadcast live on Friday, Mr Muhyiddin said: "With advice from the Ministry of Health, based on data collected, and protocol outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the government has decided to open its economic sectors carefully, while implementing stringent health standard operating procedures (SOP)."
"Almost all economic sectors and business activities will be allowed to operate from May 4, depending on protocols and SOP decided by authorities."
However, Mr Muhyiddin explained that some industries and business activities will remain closed as they involve mass gatherings, and where social distancing is difficult to enforce.
These includes cinemas, karaoke lounges, reflexology centres, nightclubs, Ramadan bazaars, Hari Raya Aidilfitri bazaars, sale carnivals as well as all conferences and exhibitions.
Furthermore, sports activities that involve body contact and mass gatherings will also not proceed. These include football, rugby, swimming in public areas and all indoor sports.
Meanwhile, outdoor activities such as badminton, tennis, cycling, golf and running in small groups with not more than 10 people, will be permitted.
Describing this as the "conditional movement control order (MCO)", Mr Muhyiddin added that restaurants, with enough space to ensure social distancing between customers, will also be allowed to open.
However, he maintained that religious activities such as Friday prayers and other prayers in congregation in mosques will not be permitted.
Interstate travel, including to return to hometowns for the upcoming Aidilfitri celebration, is not allowed, he added.
Malaysia MCO file photo Malaysia's movement control order came into effect since Mar 18, 2020. (File photo: Bernama)
Mr Muhyiddin also said that schools and institutions of higher learning will remain closed.
"A full list of activities that will is prohibited will be reflected on the National Security Council website:www.mkn.gov.my " he said.
"The list will be reviewed from time to time depending on the number of COVID-19 cases," he added.
As of Friday, there are a total of 6,002 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, of whom 4,171 or 69.5 per cent have been discharged.
MALAYSIA HAS SUCCESSFULLY CONTROLLED SPREAD OF COVID-19: MUHYIDDIN
Mr Muhyiddin made the announcement to open most economic sectos following a decrease in new COVID-19 cases across the country in recent weeks, a sign that the MCO has proven to be fruitful.
He highlighted in his speech that Malaysia's economy has suffered a loss of RM2.4 billion (US$560 million) each day since the MCO was implemented. The total losses are estimated at RM63 billion, he added.
Should MCO be extended for another month, Malaysia would see a further loss of RM35 billion, the prime minister said.
In his speech, Mr Muhyiddin highlighted how discipline showed by residents to stay at home during the MCO has brought encouraging results.
He explained that this has helped boost the Ministry of Health's capabilities in treating COVID-19 patients. Malaysia will have enough manpower, beds in hospitals, quarantine centres, medication, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and testing labs in case infection rate rises again.
He also acknowledged that in the coming months, it would be impossible for any countries to achieve zero new COVID-19 cases, Hence, Malaysia has to upgrade the capabilities of its public healthcare services to "face any possibilities", he added.
"Even though we have successfully controlled the spread of COVID-19, do not be careless. Stay vigilant. Practise social distancing, wash your hands frequently, wear a face mask in public and quickly see a doctor if you have any symptoms," said Mr Muhyiddin.
Parents, nurseries should compromise on fees during MCO
The move by childcare centres or nurseries (taska) to demand full fees despite the Movement Control Order (MCO) which enters its sixth week, has become a thorny issue for parents involved.
In fact, this is one of many grouses voiced by parents when majority of the nurseries insisted that the fees must be paid in full to cover certain costs as well as to pay their staff salaries.
An e-hailing driver from Johor Baru, Amir Hamzah, said parents and the nurseries should compromise and have an understanding and empathy to come up with a win-win solution for all parties to solve the crisis.
Amir, 37, said the nurseries should not think about the profit alone by charging the same fees as before, given the fact that many expenses could be saved during the MCO.
This includes saving on utility bills such as electricity and water, stationery sets, and daily meals for the children as well as receiving wage subsidy from the government under the Prihatin Tambahan economic stimulus package.
“It is not that we don’t want to pay at all, we understand the staff salaries depend on the fees, but calculations must be made by deducting unused costs from the full payment of the monthly fees.
“If the fees remain the same, that means the nurseries are making more profits before MCO while some parents are experiencing a complete loss of income. Like me, for example, e-hailing drivers are finding so hard to make ends meet as people choose to stay home,” he told Bernama.
Throughout the MCO, the nursery has allowed Amir, who allocates RM1,000 monthly for his two children - son and daughter - to defer his payment without offering any discounts.
“They do conduct online classes for an hour daily but the effectiveness is not the same as face-to-face in a classroom, especially when children are below four years old,” he said.
Even the cost of buying learning materials and a printer was borne by parents, he added.
Sharing a similar sentiment, a bank employee who wants to be known as Atirah, 39, said the nursery has given her a half-price discount for May, with a condition that both March and April fees must be settled in full.
“Otherwise, they will terminate my three-year-old daughter’s enrollment. My husband and I are working throughout MCO as we are in the essential services. We are forced to send our child to another babysitter as the centre is closed.
“We paid in full for March despite being unable to send her to the centre for two weeks. Since MCO has been extended, we hope the nursery would compromise by offering discounts or the government to come up with fees standardisation,” she said.
Meanwhile, a member of Association of Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia (ARCPM) Board of Trustees, Shamsinah Che Shariff, said many small nurseries or kindergartens were having trouble staying afloat as many parents have refused to pay the monthly fees.
Most of the nurseries have no issues of deducting all other costs as some families may also be affected financially by the MCO and it would be wise for both sides to come up with an agreement, she said.
“If the income of the parents has been affected, they can show the proof and discuss with the management, it should not be a problem. It is also fine if (parents) want the meal costs to be deducted. “The utility bill is not so much compare to the love and care as well as good services provided for the children. The nurseries still need to pay rent, salaries and must make contributions to Employers Provident Fund and Social Security Organisations,” she added.
However, she said, some parents did settle the full payment although they were offered discounts as they understood the value of the nurseries and kindergarten as a professional provider.
She added that small nurseries have been severely affected when parents decided not to make payment since they were looking after their children at home.
In the meantime, Shamsinah said the efforts of teachers and caregivers to conduct online lessons was a proof that they were willing to put extra efforts to ensure that children did not miss the learning process apart from making most of their time with quality activities.
“With the technology, the online teaching initiative definitely needs a little assistance from parents, but parents should also see that it takes a lot of effort from teachers to make extra preparation to conduct the lesson,” she added. — Bernama
For those who are arguing on both sides that we must open now or it is too soon to open, *this is the most important thing you need to know*.
Here's the most asked question to answer:
*When will it be SAFE to end the lockdown, to re-emerge?*
*May 1st? Or May 15th?* *Or June end? Or July end? Or August?*
Here's the real answer: *Never*. *It will never be "SAFE.*”
Why ?
Social distancing, staying at home, all of these measures - were these not meant to "cure" Covid-19 ?
*No at all ! These were measures to slow it down, so as to not overwhelm our healthcare system*.
For the most part, so far we've done that.
However it should be clearly understood that It does not change the virality of Covid-19 ; or how it spreads from one person to another.
*Nor does it have any effect on the mortality rate*. *It was intended to just delay it until we find a PERMANENT CURE .*
A very important point to note here is that - As soon as we re-emerge, the virus will spread again, & the people with weak immune systems will still succumb to it in large nos .
*This is a harsh fact which all of us have to realise .*
The people who missed it this time, may eventually get it - regardless of whether we re-emerge on May 1st or September 30th ......
*What is it , that we need to do now ?* We need to protect our healthcare system in every possible way to handle the load, but we don't need to mislead ourselves over the outcome of this quarantine.
*Hard Truth of life now is* - *It is slowing it down, but not curing it.*
Eg : If you're driving to Alor Setar from Kuala Lumpur at 50 miles an hour or 100 miles an hour, the distance doesn't change, isn’t it ???
Therefore the need of the hour now is -
*if our lifestyle is causing you to have a weakened immune system, use this lockdown time to correct that*. This should be one of our major resolutions / actionables now without any doubt !
*Otherwise, you've placed a “heavy target “ on your own back* *which will be very difficult to carry* ...
Youngsters as well as older *people should understand & make sure that this is not the time for indulging in comfort food* - but it's a time to give ourselves the healthiest, most robust immune system our body is capable of.
*How can this be achieved*? 1 - By Having healthy , nutritious food , 2 - Compulsory, 8-hour, night sleep.- drink lime water ( warm water ) daily morning without fail ; 3 - Not having refrigerated or aerated drinks ; 4 - Detox yourself everyday & 5 - maintain social distancing for next couple of weeks/ even months until we have a vaccine or definite, standardized, proven medicine that ensures rapid cure. It's as simple as this !!!
Hope you all understand that this is just the beginning & not the end .
We need to be careful about ourselves by maintaining real good healthly & hygienic habits in this lockdown period !
