WORKPLACE WELLNESS CORNER

Workplace Wellness Corner Tips

#1 of the Stress Relief Tips

Breathing Exercises

“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”

– Etty Hillesum

Breathing is an easy to learn stress relief technique that’s fast, simple and free. It can be done anywhere, anytime and has numerous positive effects on your health such as reducing high blood pressure.

Here’s how basic controlled breathing works:

  • Sit or stand in a relaxed postion. That means also to relax your abdominal muscles; let it all hang out, so to speak. Don’t worry, you’re the only one aware of it.
  • Slowly inhale through your nose. Fill up your lungs with fresh air and let your abdomen expand outward, rather than raising your shoulders.
  • Exhale slowly through your mouth. Pay attention to the exhale. Drag it out for as l–o–n–g as possible.
  • Repeat this exercise several times and feel the tension draining from your body.

#2 of the Stress Relief Tips

Exercise

a) Stretching

Watch how a cat stretches after a nap. Sometimes (not often enough) we stretch in a similar manner. It’s an overall feel-good movement. Stretch from the fingertips to the toes, including the face (yawning takes care of that). Be careful not to over-stretch though, especially after longer periods of inactivity. Stretching should not hurt.

Remind yourself to stretch at work by writing “STRETCH” on a post-it note and sticking it on the computer monitor frame. Every once in a while you’re bound to notice it. Gently stretch the muscles and tendons in your fingers, wrists, neck/shoulders, back, and legs.

If it’s available, take a Tai-Chi or Yoga class.

b) Simple Exercises

A very simple exercise and an excellent stress relief technique is walking. It doesn’t require a lot of focus and can easily be incorporated into your workday, no matter how pressed for time you are.

When you feel frustrated or anxious, engage in some form of physical activity. Take a brisk walk around the block, through your workplace, or up and down the stairs. Use up the adrenaline that’s going through your bloodstream before it negatively affects your health.

#3 of the Stress Relief Tips

Laughter is the best medicine

Laughing reduces the level of stress hormones. It also triggers the release of health-enhancing hormones like endorphines, which are the body’s natural painkillers.

Have something in your workplace that automatically makes you smile, like a funny picture or a goofy toy. Keep a joke book at hand and use it often. An extra bonus is that laughter is contagious and it feels great to have a deep belly laugh.

#4 of the Stress Relief Tips

Sleep

Take a nap! Research shows that a 15-30 minute nap in the afternoon increases alertness, improves cognitive functioning and reduces stress.

Adequate night-time sleep is also important. Studies suggest 7 to 8 hours per day, every day. The effects of lost sleep are culumative and can result in impaired: reaction time, vision, information processing, and short-term memory.

#5 of the Stress Relief Tips

Eat well

Eat well-balanced meals and take appropriate Vitamins and Minerals to make sure your body is adequately nurished and healthy.

Maintain a healthy bodyfat/muscle ratio. If necessary, concentrate on loosing fat instead of just loosing “weight”. Being skinny doesn’t automatically equate being healthy. The rapid weight-loss of starvation diets is mostly due to dehydration and muscle-loss, and can cause weakness and even serious illnesses.

#6 of the Stress Relief Tips

Posture

Remind yourself to maintain basic proper posture. If you sit most of the time, adjust the chair according to your body proportion. Keep your feet flat of the floor. Your ribcage should not rest on the hip joints.
Straighten your spine but don’t hyper-extend. Move your shoulders back, and take pressure off the spine in your neck by keeping your head aligned with the rest of the spine.

#7 of the Stress Relief Tips

Massage

Some of the documented benefits of massage are: muscle tension relief, heightened concentration, better sleep, and decreased fatigue, anxiety and depression.

 

a) Implement a Chair Massage Workplace Wellness Program to combat job stress. It’s convenient, fast and instantly relieves muscle tension in stressed-out employees. Contact Us for an appointment or more information.

b) If you have the time, treat yourself to a Table Massage.

c) Self Massage. Place two tennis balls in a sock and tie off the end. Stand with your back to the wall, place the balls on either side of your spine. Slowly move up and down in a squatting movement, pressing against the wall and rolling the balls up and down your back.
#8 of the Stress Relief Tips

Watch out for Information Overload

“In your thirst for knowledge, be sure not to drown in all the information.”

– Anthony J. D’Angelo

Do you really need to know every detail, be part of every meeting, or read every piece of information you come across? Give your brain a rest.
#9 of the Stress Relief Tips

Prioritize!

Not everything needs to be taken care of right now. Recognize the difference between what is urgent and what is important.
#10 of the Stress Relief Tips

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Simplify your life and learn to say “no”. Accept help when it’s offered or ask for help if you feel overwhelmed.

Tips Curated From: http://www.workplace-wellness-massage.com/stress-relief-tips.html

  • Happy Massage Customer

    Our Health and Wellness Team at work was looking for a way to promote health and wellness, prevent injury and reduce stress for our team members. It was decided that a regularly scheduled on-site chair massage would give team members an opportunity to experience the many health benefits of a massage at work. Leslie (owner and massage therapist) and her Worker Wellness Massage Team at The Body Bunch have been coming to our workplace now for over seven years. Their commitment and professionalism is exemplary. As Chair of the Health and Wellness Team and also the coordinator of the monthly chair massages, I would highly recommend Leslie and her Team to other companies and businesses looking for a way to improve morale and productivity for their employees. September 2015

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    Becki Garner,
    Chair of the Boyds Health and Wellness Team