Work takes the majority of not only our awake time in the week, but also attention and energy. How do we make sure that we perform well in our daily tasks, whilst not forgetting to take care of our mental and physical being?
1. Be aware of your body and signals it sends
Your body is your best friend. But, it can turn into your best enemy if you forget to be attentive to its needs (falling ill during holiday time is a good indicator of that).
- Take breaks during the day to do what makes your body happy:
- Let your eyes rest by looking at the sky.
- Take a mindful walk. Even if it’s to the water machine and back. Make sure your walk is focused on steps and breathing , not on the next email you’re planning on sending.
- Take care of your posture while sitting. If you were a pot plant and your spine and middle of the torso was a stem, you don’t want to look like a wilting plant!
2. Get to know your mind – how to self-diagnose stress and overwhelm
We often unconsciously minimise the symptoms of stress by blaming our mood on external circumstances.
- Are you getting sad and weepy, or angry. Or perhaps you are losing your sense of humour?
- Ask yourself: did the world really change in last 24 hours and all my colleagues suddenly hate me? Or am I reaching melting point?
- If you feel like you are reaching melting point, take a break, even as little as three breaths. Create space to see things more clearly.
3. You can never “run out of time”
Try to perceive time NOT as linear and finite, but:
- Cyclical (like our ancestors did)
- Every day/month/year is a new quota of time with its own new “metre”.
- Three dimensional
- It’s not just the length but also depth of our perception that creates sense of fulfilment (remember that meeting that achieved more in an hour than a day of emails?).
4. Faster doesn’t mean more or better
Imagine walking on tight rope. You can only go as fast as you can – which is very slow in this case – but that speed is the only appropriate one. Multitasking is not helping you to achieve tasks. It helps your anxiety feel like it’s in control, but distracts your mind from pursuing a task.
- As much as possible develop the ability to “single-task”.
- Start by giving yourself one task a day to perform in that mode.
- Reward yourself for succeeding and reflect on the result.
5. People around you are crucial to your sense of wellbeing
We can’t always choose our colleagues. But we can learn how to develop an attitude that allows us to get on with anybody.
- Look at a chosen person and remember – just like me:
- They want to get through the day without being hurt.
- They are trying their best to live their lives and fulfil their dreams.
Stress Awareness Month
Stress Awareness Month is fast approaching. In April, individuals and organisations will be working together to raise awareness of causes and cures of stress.
Stress in the workplace has become a worldwide epidemic. Here at On Site Wellbeing Co, we have a passion to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and companies as a whole. One way we do this is by delivering fun, educational and interactive wellbeing workshops throughout the UK. If you would like to find more about how our workshops can help with workplace stress, take a look at our full list of Wellbeing Workshops here.
