Over the course of our lives, we spend a huge majority of time working. Whether it’s in the office, at home or out on a work site, we put in many hours that often leads to tension, stress, and exhaustion. Therefore, our workplace practises play a significant role in how we handle these challenges and to our overall health and wellness.
Here are some helpful tips to keep on top of things at work. If you can incorporate even one or two of these practices in regularly, they will have a positive impact on your overall wellness.
- Get moving – If you sit for long periods in front of a computer or device, then this one is important. It is known that sitting for long periods of time has a negative effect on our health and energy levels. Even if you exercise daily, it is recommended that you get up from your desk and walk around regularly to keep blood flows moving. It also helps relieve back and neck pain as our bodies aren’t designed to sit in one place for too long and adds pressure on these areas of the body.
- Give your eyes a rest – Our eyes are precious, and we generally take them for granted. Steering at a screen for long periods, over time, can be damaging to them. Try to look away from your screen often and look out into the distance. Re-focusing your eyesight from short to long distance is great for your eye health.
- Prepare your own lunch – If you are making your own food, you know exactly what you are eating. Preparing your lunch means you can pack it full of nutrients and avoid less nourishing, processed foods. Being organised really helps and once you make it a daily occurrence it won’t feel like a chore. Ways to help can be to make your lunch the night before, wake up ten minutes earlier and prepare lunch in the morning or take leftovers from dinner the night before.
- Have a proper lunch break – Eating at your desk while you stamp out a few more emails may seem productive, but it can affect your digestion and concentration. Our brains need to switch off and have breaks so making time for your lunch break is very important. If you can get outside and make it technology-free, even better!
- Concentrate on your breathing – When we are too focused at work our breathing becomes shortened. Our body links short, shallow breathing with stress and long deep breathing with relaxation. Therefore, if you can make time every hour or so to concentrate on taking long deep breaths, it will help relax your brain and help with productivity.