How do you feel after work or while working? Are you always too excited to finish up whatever you’re doing, get the hell away from your office, and go straight to bed? Do you skip meals because you’re too tired to grab one? Do you immediately go to sleep once you hit the sack? These are signs of a stressful work environment. It is not good for your physical and mental health, as well as for your relationships.
You need to de-stress. Why not take a break in a nice boutique bed and breakfast in Bath or another city? How’s your vacation credit like? Can you take a break for three days just to roam around a picturesque town, sip coffee while watching people, and go to bed while reading your favourite book? Find a way to squeeze in a short vacation because you need this to be more productive at work once you’re back. If you can’t take a vacation, here are other ways to de-stress at work:
Take a 10-minute Walk
Take a walk outside your office. It can be just the park or even the sidewalk. Just walk and not think about work. Your responsibilities will wait for you when you go back to the office. But for just 10 minutes, don’t think about that report you’re writing or the presentation you’re going to have later. Just walk. Clear your mind. Smile at people, and go window shopping. You’ll find how refreshing this can be.
Clear Your Workspace
Most of the times, a cluttered workspace contributes to a stressful work environment. If you are swamped with work, you might feel that more if you’re not cleaning out completed reports and documents from your desk. Make it a point to leave only the things on your desk that you need for the work that you’re doing presently. Those past and future documents? Put them inside the drawer. Focus one at a time.
Go to the Gym or Meditate
Make it a point to do some exercise or meditation before going to work. Meditation will help clear your mind while running or going to the gym will pump adrenaline throughout your body. You’ll be more energetic throughout the day.
Eat a Healthy Snack
Stress eating is a real problem, so it’s important to emphasize that eating only healthy snacks will keep you from breaking down. Don’t try to compensate for your stress with fatty food such as fries, burgers, pizza, and sweets. Eat some nuts, an energy bar, or a boiled egg. Nothing is more stressful for the brain than hunger. But at the same time, eating a heavy meal slows down the brain and makes people sluggish. Eat healthy snacks, and you’ll find that you’re energized more than ever.
Breathe
Sometimes, all you need is to breathe deeply to relax. Ever wonder why Apple watches are scheduled to remind you to take a few deep breaths a day? You need to focus on your breathing while you’re doing this. It calms the mind and relaxes your body.
Taking care of your physical and mental health is vital to your productivity in the workplace. Investing in your health shouldn’t be overlooked. If you are too stressed out from your work, talk to your bosses about the workload and see if you can reach a compromise.
