Flying from New York to London is very different in pandemic 2:25
(CNN) -
If the lack of a separation between work and home is still a struggle for you, mimicking the route you took before the pandemic may be the solution you need.
For many people, commuting to work can be the worst part of their day - there is the possibility of getting stuck in traffic.
Or, problems with public transportation can be uncomfortable.
For others, however, commuting may have been a ritual critical to their mental health and work-life balance.
Enter the boom in "fake trips," where people replace that daily transition with walks, runs, bike rides, and more.
What is a fake trip to work and how does it help your health?
A person walks a dog in the morning mist at dawn in Greenwich Park, south London, on November 9, 2020. Some people who work from home take fake trips to balance work and personal life.
Before the pandemic, Beth Kanter used to spend her mornings boarding planes to fulfill her business obligations.
"I looked back at something I wrote in my journal from last year as I reflected on the year, and I was complaining to myself that it would be nice not to have to travel so much," said Kanter, a Bay Area writer, virtual facilitator and trainer who Lives in California working in the non-profit social change sector.
Not long after the pandemic, Kanter felt the stress and knew that to maintain resilience, he had to set limits and routines by taking a fake trip in the morning.
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"I realized that a lot of time on airplanes was for reflecting and thinking," said Kanter, who has been taking an hour-long morning walk.
She learned the neighborhood routes and searched for succulents and photographed them, thus creating an "obsession" that led her to her own succulent garden.
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Kanter's succulent garden grew out of an interest he had developed while on his fake travels.
"Routines and rituals are very beneficial to us because they are things that we understand and we know what to expect from them," said Lynn Bufka, senior director of practice transformation and quality at the American Psychological Association.
"The routine is set for us, without having to think about what we're going to do next, 'This is how my day is going to flow,'" he said.
"It helps us get from point A to point B."
The trips are forced pauses that signal the time to move from work identity to another identity, such as a parent, spouse or friend, said Ravi S. Gajendran, associate professor at Florida International University School of Business.
"Working full-time from home during the pandemic makes the transition between work and home difficult," he said by email.
"Many people are switching between being a parent / spouse and an employee multiple times throughout the day," Gajendran added.
“It's difficult to seamlessly access a work-related Zoom call right after dealing with a demanding situation with children at home.
Likewise, it's hard to let go of the stress and mental worries of Zoom's work-related call and instantly switch to being a loving and caring partner or spouse. "
The joy of establishing boundaries between work and home for your mental health
Ilona Alcock, another person who does those fake walks, and her husband went from taking train trips to enjoying rides to "create a division between home and work."
"The fake trips were an absolute lifesaver for me and my husband," added Alcock, co-founder of business development consultancy Elevate Greater Manchester in England.
“They gave me a reason to get out of bed at the same time each morning and prepare for a more productive and active day.
Walking outdoors has a huge positive impact on my mental health.
Using the morning for walking instead of traveling by train has allowed Alcock to discover beautiful places near his neighborhood in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.
For several months now, practice has been a way for Alcock to start his day with fresh air, green spaces, and time to learn.
"It has a positive impact on my whole day and I often have my best ideas during these walks," he said.
Kanter's bogus travels have also been a meditative respite.
She has found a way to "be in the moment and observe, which I know is another technique to overcome trauma," Kanter said.
"It reduced stress levels, fear and negative thinking, and it improved my concentration."
Nick Shepherd, a business development executive in Stockport, England, has been waking up earlier to "take a walk and watch the world wake up" since October.
"I think people (think) it's nice to just get out of bed and go straight to your desk to work," she added, "but it makes a big difference to have that time before work for you."
Joseph Neville, an accountant and councilor from County Kildare, Ireland, also joined in on these distractions, so instead of spending up to 40 minutes in a car or train, a 40-minute walk helps you think more clearly.
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A morning trip near the Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve in Warrington, Cheshire, England, gives Sharp a chance to keep an eye out.
Not traveling to work meant that Louise Sharp started work earlier and earlier and finished later.
An 8-kilometer walk helped her process her responsibilities, improve her mood, and be more motivated and aware.
"Spending too much time in front of a screen and not likely going back to the office, I knew I had to do something," said Sharp, a family doctor in Warrington, Cheshire, England.
Create a fake trip to work
Getting started on taking your own fake trips to work can be as simple as walking, running, or biking about the same time or mileage your previous trip took.
Some people drive to their office building, stay in the car, and then return home in time to start work.
"People who segment have better work-life balances," said Kristen Shockley, associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia.
Whichever substitute you choose, the key is to "make it a habit and get ready the next night," Alcock said.
Adding a social aspect could make the habit more enjoyable and sustainable.
Kanter recruited her husband and declared that their trip was a "COVID-free discussion zone."
Alcock has found that morning chats with her husband help keep their "relationship strong during the pandemic."
Since some people's homes masquerade as offices, having your laptop in plain sight can be stressful.
Separate yourself from work by changing your area as well, Bufka said, perhaps putting away your laptop and placing the notebooks on shelves.
"Depending on what people really appreciate about the notion of transition and figuring out what kind of time they might need," Bufka added, "plan for that."
That transition could be spending time alone or just changing clothes.
In addition to the benefits for mental health and work-life balance, fake trips can improve your physical health.
Before the pandemic, Kanter learned that her cholesterol was high, but when she had a follow-up appointment with her doctor months later, her cholesterol had normalized.
Walking and other forms of exercise can help reduce stress, mental health and sleep problems, research has shown.
Physical activity can also boost your immunity and respiratory health, which are critical factors in how a person fares if they are infected with coronavirus.
"Here are some opportunities to build new habits or new structures in our daily lives that will serve us well," Bufka said, "whether there is a pandemic or not."
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