Two years fully remote and how it changed my mental health — both directions
by Farhan Zainal·May 25, 2026
Moved to fully remote in 2023. Here's the honest mental health impact in both directions.
What improved:
- No commute recovered 2—3 hours per day. That time went to sleep, exercise, and cooking. Physical health improved measurably.
- Fewer incidental stressors — office noise, interruptions, the energy cost of constant small social navigation
- More time with family
What got worse:
- Social isolation is real. I didn't realise how much casual human contact at work was doing until it was gone.
- The absence of a physical boundary between work and home. The laptop is always there.
- A subtle but persistent sense of invisibility — "if I'm not seen, do I matter?"
What I changed:
Deliberate social commitments that I treat like work meetings. Two co-working days per week. Weekly calls with a friend, not just text.
The mental health outcome of remote work depends enormously on how you actively design your life around it.