Introduction
No matter how you define “work,” it’s stressful. And even if you love your job, there will always be days when it feels like everything is going wrong. The good news is that there are ways to make work more relaxing for everyone. Here are some tools we’ve found helpful at my own office:
Even at work you can learn to relax, have balance and enjoy your life more!
Even at work you can learn to relax, have balance and enjoy your life more!
- Take a break.
- Listen to soothing sounds.
- Meditation break.
- Yoga break.
- Stretching break (using wall or door).
Coffee or tea break – if you drink coffee or tea, take advantage of this time to get some caffeine into your body! If you don’t like coffee or tea, try drinking a glass of water instead. It’s easy for us humans to become dehydrated when we’re busy working away on our computers all day long… it’s important not only for good health but also for keeping alertness levels high throughout the day too 🙂 We have written a great article on this topic. You could also have a relaxation room. this is a great artilce on the subject.
1. Enjoy some fresh air
One of the best things you can do to help yourself relax is to get up and walk around. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, taking a short break to go outside and get some fresh air will help you reset your body and mind. Even if it’s cold outside, opening a window or door can give you access to clean air that has less pollution than what’s inside your workspace.
Get off your chair, take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for three seconds then exhale slowly through your mouth as you count backwards from 5-1 (5:5 4:4 3:3 2:2 1). This counts down from five seconds on each inhale and exhale until finishing at 1 second per inhale/exhale
2. Listen to soothing sounds
The second way to relax at work is to listen to soothing sounds. You can listen to nature sounds, ocean waves or music that you like. Or you can use a white noise machine if you want something more consistent and steady.
If your workplace has a sound system or even an internet radio service, try searching for some calm jazz or classical music online. There are many excellent websites and resources out there that host free versions of calming music for relaxation purposes!
3. Take a meditation break
Meditation is a great way to relax and unwind. It has the following benefits:
- Reduces stress
- Improves mental health and well-being
- Increases focus and productivity at work, which can reduce errors in the workplace.
How do you meditate? There are many ways to meditate. A simple version of this is to close your eyes, breathe deeply for 1 minute, then release all thoughts as they come into your mind (don’t try to stop them) – repeat this cycle for 5 minutes or so until you feel relaxed. Alternatively, you can find apps such as Headspace or Calm where there are guided meditations available which take you through different stages of relaxation. How long should I meditate for? Try starting with 5 minutes per day if it’s new for you! After that, increase it gradually until it becomes a habit that helps keep stress at bay throughout the day or when working on big projects at work 🙂
4. Take a yoga break
If you’ve never had the opportunity to practice yoga, it’s a great way to get in touch with yourself. Yoga helps us reconnect with our bodies and focus on our breathing, which can help us relax and feel more energetic throughout the day. Yoga can also be done at work—even if there isn’t a designated space for it! If your office has a conference room or break area that’s not being used at the time when you’d like to do yoga (or even if others are present), just ask politely if you can use it for 15 minutes or so. If no one else is using it, then by all means go ahead!
If you’re worried about looking silly doing downward dog in front of others, remember that everyone who comes into contact with us has an inner side too (except maybe Donald Trump). No matter how small their desks may be or how rigid their work schedules may seem from outside looking in, there’s probably some place deep down where they wish they could let go just as much as we do when we’re practicing yoga together during lunch hour or after work hours on Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays – whatever works best for everyone involved!
Yoga breaks aren’t only good for us mentally though; they’re also great physically too because they help keep our muscles strong while allowing them some rest at times throughout each day which isn’t always possible otherwise given how busy most people are nowadays due especially but not limited too stress levels increasing exponentially over recent years due primarily due factors such as financial pressures resulting from inflation rates rising faster than wages since 2008 when America entered recession following Wall Street crash caused by reckless decisions made by bankers who ultimately benefited financially despite risking lives
5. Take a stretch break
Take a stretch break. Stretching is good for your body and mind. It increases blood flow to your muscles, which helps keep them loose and improve posture. Stretching also lowers stress, improves circulation, relieves muscle tension and can boost energy levels (which may be helpful if you’re working late). You can stretch while sitting at your desk by placing both feet flat on the floor and leaning back in your chair with knees bent; if there’s an open area near you where it’s safe to do so, try stretching while standing up instead of sitting down; when on hold or on a conference call with someone else who is holding (or just taking a break), try doing some light stretches such as shoulder rolls; if walking around the office isn’t possible due to space constraints or security concerns (even though we know this shouldn’t deter us from finding ways around these issues) then try getting creative by sitting against walls whenever possible—you’ll find that these types of movements are actually quite comfortable once you get used them!
6.. Eat healthy snacks
What is a healthy snack?
A healthy snack is one that contains whole foods that are low in sugar, high in fiber and protein, and high in water content to keep you feeling full.
How to choose a healthy snack:
Look for snacks that contain at least one of these ingredients: fruits or vegetables, nuts/seeds/legumes (beans), lean protein like chicken breast or fish (not fried), egg whites, yogurt and cheese from grass-fed animals. If it’s sweetened with artificial sweeteners skip it! You don’t need those chemicals – they’ll just cause more cravings later on when your blood sugar spikes then crashes. Make sure the package says “no added sugar” if there’s any chance that some was added during processing or manufacturing; otherwise check out the ingredient list for added sugars like fructose corn syrup or cane juice syrup so you know what not to eat too much of (if any).
7. Create your ideal work environment
You should also think about creating your own ideal work environment. What would it look like? What would be in it? Where would you sit, or stand? What kind of lighting would you have? How comfortable is your chair or desk? Do you need to block out noise from other people or the outside world, or do you prefer quiet spaces where no one else can hear what’s going on with your work day to day.
To achieve this:
- Find the best possible working conditions for yourself. If that means shutting yourself in a room by yourself for hours on end, so be it! The important thing is that it’s quiet and peaceful enough for you to focus on what matters. Make sure this room has all the things necessary (such as a computer) and nothing more than that!
- Create boundaries between work time and personal time; don’t let them bleed into each other too much if possible (even though sometimes there may not be an easy way around this).
Conclusion
We hope you found these ideas useful. These are just some of the ways you can relax at work, but there are many more that we haven’t mentioned here. The key takeaway is that taking care of yourself is important and it doesn’t have to be complicated! If you find yourself stressed or anxious, try one of these techniques. You’ll be surprised by how much better they make you feel when going about your day as well as helping reduce stress levels overall over time
