Boost Your Wellbeing whilst at work: Simple Desk Activities to Recharge and Rejuvenate!
In today's fast-paced lifestyle, incorporating regular well-being practices like yoga or meditation to support our physical and mental well-being can be challenging. Ironically, the busier we become, the more essential it is to establish a strong well-being routine. Neglecting to do so can adversely affect both our personal and professional lives.
The demand for assistance in improving mental, emotional, and physical health has significantly increased, prompting forward-thinking companies to introduce regular well-being activities for their employees.
Many individuals within the workplace commonly experience stress, anxiety, overwhelm, and feelings of being tired and wired, which hampers their ability to concentrate.
According to Champion Health's 2022 survey, a staggering 76% of individuals employed in corporate environments reported experiencing moderate to high levels of stress. If you can relate to these experiences, please know that you are not alone.
The Impact of Stress on Our Daily Lives
In order to navigate through each day, our brain handles essential life functions such as breathing, temperature regulation, and blood circulation. Simultaneously, it must filter out stressors like loud noises, blue light emitted by electronic devices, environmental pollutants, and everyday pressures.
Despite our modern context, our ancient body still operates under a programming that originated from a time when being alert to severe threats was crucial. Consequently, it reacts and panics in response to stimuli such as sirens, mistakenly perceiving them as genuine attacks, just as it would if a saber-toothed tiger suddenly lunged at us. Within a fraction of a second, our sympathetic nervous system, responsible for our safety, kicks into action.
It releases cortisol, a stress hormone, into our bodies, and determines whether we should fight, flee, or freeze in response to the perceived threat.
Experiencing occasional stress is generally manageable. However, if we are constantly exposed to stressors and lack a regular well-being practice to regulate our nervous system, it can lead to long-term imbalance or illness in the body. This can manifest in various issues such as anxiety, depression, diminished libido and fertility, sleep disturbances, weight gain, hormonal imbalances, and more. Therefore, it is crucial that we take a proactive approach to prioritize our well-being.
Within a workplace setting, if members of our team are stressed and unable to effectively manage their stress, they are likely to be unresponsive and less productive. Additionally, they may experience a higher likelihood of taking sick leave.
It is understandable that the demands of daily life often place well-being activities low on our priority list. When we are busy, the concept of creating space to do "nothing" may seem peculiar. However, it is important to recognize that by doing less, we actually gain more. More energy, which provides a sense of having more time, increased creativity, inspiration, clarity, and patience. In the long run, investing in our well-being is truly worthwhile.
As the saying goes,
"Make time to go for a walk in nature every day, unless you are busy. If you're busy, make sure to dedicate one hour for it."
Practical Strategies to Lighten the Workload in Your Workplace
Tailor this approach to suit your needs and make it manageable. It doesn't have to be time-consuming. Devoting just 2 minutes per hour can significantly impact your day.
Breathwork
Emotional Freedom Technique EFT or Tapping
Eye exercises to reduce eye strain
At desk stretches
Tips and tricks to help you make the most of your working day
Checking in with yourself
How you are feeling?
Are you sitting straight?
Are you unconsciously holding tension in the body e.g. the jaw, the hips, the hands
How are you breathing? Shallow breaths into the chest? Or deep breaths into the tummy?
When was the last time you stood up and walked around
Have you had enough water to drink?
Wellbeing rule
Ensure you stand up every hour, take a break from the immediate environment every two hours, and step outside the building every four hours. Allocate a minimum of 10 minutes away from technology every five hours. Stay hydrated by consuming an ample amount of water. Additionally, make it a point to get some fresh air.
Sound bites
Listen to sound healing recordings from your desk for a quick dose of calm.
Check out this free sound healing recording with guided meditation.
Wellbeing in the workplace
Arrange a sound healing & meditation experience from your workplace.
I hope this blog has been helpful to your team. If you have any other wellbeing in the workplace suggestions you think should be added to this blog please share them in the comments.
