· By PYM STORE
How To Relax At Work
Does the thought of going to work make you feel stressed out? Do you lay in bed at night and worry about work the next day? For a lot of us, work can be a major source of stress and anxiety. While it would be nice to just “get another job,” as many people flippantly say, that’s not really an option for most people. PYM is here with a bit of help so that you can relax at work and enjoy your day just a little bit more. You don’t have to love what you do, but you also shouldn’t hate it.
Identify The Problem
In order to know how to relax at work, you have to first learn what the actual source of the problem is. Instead of just sitting with that overall sense of dread, take a closer look at what parts of your job may be bothering you. Is there a certain coworker that seems to just constantly give you trouble? Is there an area of your job that you don’t feel like you’re particularly good at? Do you legitimately just dislike what you do? Once you have a better handle on what parts of your job may be the most problematic, you can cater your plan to include relaxation techniques that can help you with those situations.
Go Outside On Lunch
One of the easiest ways to destress and relax more at work is to make better use of your lunch break. Whether you get half an hour or a full hour, make sure that you use every bit of it. It can be extremely tempting to work through lunch in an attempt to either get ahead or impress your boss, but all that does is put even more pressure on you. You get a break for a reason, so don’t waste it.
Make it a habit of bringing your lunch to work, and then get outside on your break. Studies have shown that spending more time outdoors is good for the entire body as well as the mind. It keeps you physically fit, allows you time away from technology (and the blue light that may worsen your eyesight), and lets you live more in the moment. Being able to change up your scenery and get some fresh air can help you release some of the tension, both physically and mentally.
Do Some “Deskercises”
Sitting in the same position, doing the same repetitive motions, can have a physical impact on your body. To help your body to relax, while also breaking up your day, try to do some deskercises. This is actually recommended to do once an hour, but you can start to incorporate it as often or as little as you want at first.
There are plenty of different deskercises that you can build into your day. Try some lateral neck stretches, shoulder shrugs, shoulder circles, fist squeezes, or hamstring stretches. Not only does it help with the monotony of the workday, but it will also keep your body from feeling as tight and tense. Considering so many people carry their tension in their shoulders and neck, this is incredibly helpful. Are your shoulders up near your ears right now? You likely need this more than you realize.
Practice Your Breathing
A technique that can help you relax both at home and at work is learning how to breathe to promote stress relief. This works twofold. First, there are certain ways of breathing that can actually help calm down the flight or flight response. This is known as diaphragmatic breathing, where you actually stimulate the vagus nerve with your breath, which naturally relaxes your parasympathetic nervous system. The natural hormones that are released help calm stress and anxiety and work similarly to the way we designed our PYM Mood Chews.
Focusing on your breathing can also help you practice mindfulness, where you live in the moment instead of being distracted by other thoughts of things that you can’t control. Mindfulness naturally helps you to relax because you are more easily able to sort through your thoughts and feelings with a clear head.
The best part is, you can use relaxation breathing techniques while you sit at your desk if you find yourself in a stressful situation. Just a minute or two of taking deep breaths can help you gain a better sense of control over what’s bothering you so that you can approach and solve it with a calm mind.
Clean Your Desk
Never underestimate the power of a clean working space. There is a correlation between having a messy, cluttered desk and feeling anxious. When you’re surrounded by disorganization, it is harder to find what you’re looking for or have space to really do your job. Take just a few minutes to clean up your space, and organize the essential things that you have to keep on or around your desk. You’ll probably find it much easier to work, both physically and mentally.
Try Some Acupressure
If you’re really starting to find yourself stressed out and you can’t take a break, there are a few acupressure points that are thought to be able to help you relax. One of the most effective points is also one that you can use discreetly: the ear.
Known as the Shen Men point, massaging the top part of your ear, with a finger on both the inside and the outside, can help you to destress. Give it a try the next time you’re really feeling overwhelmed.
In Conclusion
Work can be a major source of stress for people, but it doesn’t have to be. Finding out what may be specifically bothering you, and learning some techniques to help you relax if you find yourself in a stressful situation, can be a major help. PYM Mood Chews can also help give you the sense of physical calm that you need to be able to create your own mental calm and work through any situation with tact. Don’t let your work situation grind you down any longer.
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