After consecutive days, weeks or even months of hard work, stress is bound to catch up to us. And although we put off rest days in the name of productivity, it’s actually been shown that taking a break and taking care of yourself can be even more beneficial for your work life! We can’t emphasize it enough, balance is key, especially when most of our days are spent sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. So whether you need to wind down before bed or in the middle of the day, focusing on these 5 things can help you close all the tabs you have open in your mind.
Gratitude Journaling: Stress is often induced when we focus on things that we are lacking or when we think too much about the future. So instead of concentrating on the things that you don’t have yet, try jotting down a couple of things that you’re grateful for in this moment. Not only will it ground you and make you realize how much you already have, but as you start with the small things, you’ll find yourself writing down things that you often overlook but are nonetheless grateful for.
Turn your focus inwards: At this point, we’ve all heard of meditation but incorporating it into your daily routine can do wonders for your mental health. Mediating can be as simple as closing your eyes, focusing on your breathing and maybe even visualizing that you’re already where you want to be! By focusing on deep inhales and longer exhales, calming our physical body can help slow down our thoughts and calm us down.
Change your environment: The pandemic has made it difficult for a lot of us to delegate specific spaces for work and rest. If you can, set up a work space away from your bed or at least facing a window so you can soak up some sun! Getting direct sunlight contributes to a better mood so try getting outside or near a window (after you’ve applied your SPF of course) to get a natural mood booster. To add a personal touch to your environment you could even add a couple pieces to your work space like a laptop stand to improve your posture while working or add a plant to your room for some greenery and better oxygen supply which could relieve some physical stress often caused by being hunched over and seated all day.
Move Your Body, Take a movement break! As mentioned, most of us are working from home and find ourselves sitting in front of our computers for hours on end. With that being said, getting up and moving around for 10 minutes before diving into another hour of productive work can do you a lot of good. At the end of your work day, give your body some love by stretching, going for a walk or even incorporating some aerobic exercise. This will help release endorphins, the mood improving hormone, and help your body ease into a calmer mood for the rest of your day. As a bonus, you could even shuffle your favourite playlist and dance the stress away! If you’re trying to put together the perfect playlist for your next workout, check out our blog: 10 songs that will vamp up your workout playlist!
Talk It Out, Really. Sometimes talking to someone we trust can be the best stress mediator. Once we get out of our own heads and talk about our problems out loud, it can be much easier to put everything in perspective and get that weight off your chest. If you’re not comfortable sharing what has you stressed, taking your mind off things by talking about anything can make you feel better. For all you know you may end up laughing until your stomach hurts and that way, you’ll feel calmer after.
Stress management is no easy task but it’s a skill that we’ll all have to eventually master. Hopefully these tips will help you close all the tabs in your brain and make your work-life balance a bit easier to manage!
Arise N' Go hopes to provide improvement in people's lives through helpful tips like above and also a tasty snack made with Water Lily Seeds. Our goal is to provide balance to individuals in all aspects of life. Learn more at: ariseonthego.ca