5 Easy Ways to Find Calm in the Center of Your Work Day
Posted on March 07, 2012 by Lynn Chapman, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.
You live a hectic life. You need to figure out a way to reduce stress in your life particularly at work. Here's how!
If you’re an entrepreneur you live a hectic life. How can you find peace and calm at least some of the time so that you don’t get sick or more fatigued or flared if you have a chronic illness. Stress plays a huge role in how well our immune system functions so if you are working too hard, taking some time to find calm in the center of your work day is essential.
You don’t have time you say? Think again. If you don’t find the time to treat yourself right you will very likely end up with lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, and other somatic responses to stress that you can’t afford to deal with. OK, if you are a young entrepreneur you may be less likely to have these symptoms, but not necessarily. Even young people can feel the effects of stress. And long term stress will come back to bite you!
So what are these easy steps and how can you remember them?
- Most of us breathe very shallowly. Breathing fully and intentionally will help you relax. Every hour spend 1 minute taking deep long breathes from your belly. Place your hand on your belly to make sure when you breathe in your belly is moving out. Then you’ll know you are breathing fully.
- Eat lunch slowly and not at your desk. If you take time out to eat lunch you’ll feel better and be more productive. Eating slowly gives your mind and body time to relax and also signals your body when you’re full. If you eat more slowly you are less likely to overeat and gain weight.
- If you work from home or a café which many of us do these days, take a brisk walk in the afternoon preferable right after lunch. It will give you a boost, get you out of your house, and get your blood pumping. You’ll be more productive because you’ll have more blood flowing to your brain.
Recommendations for aerobic exercise are 30 minutes at least 5 days a week. Of course more is better, but if you are strapped for time 30 minutes works. You can also break up those minutes anyway you like. Do something you enjoy so you’ll do it.
- Stretch for 2 minutes, twice a day or more. This will prevent neck pain from building up. Two easy neck stretches: Stand up, face forward and turn you head slowly to the right until you can’t turn it anymore and hold for 10 secs, then repeat on the left side. Keeping your head forward, tilt your head to the right toward your right shoulder and hold for 10 secs and then repeat on the left side.
- Tense every muscle in your body including your face and hold for a few seconds, then release. Repeat 2 or 3 times. Do at least twice a day. You’ll feed more relaxed.
Ok you say. How can I possibly remember to do these? Easy. You have outlook and other alarms as part of your smart phone. In Outlook or your phone schedule these exercises and breaks just as you would an important appointment. Aren’t you as important as that deadline?
