How To Relax In The Office?
In recent years, you may have heard about the importance of relaxing at the office. Due to the alerts issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) about the risks of work stress, many companies have begun to implement relaxation methods in their work areas.
And, when you are subjected to a lot of work stress, not only your physical and mental performance is affected, but you expose yourself to the risk of various diseases. Therefore, if you still do not do anything to counteract it, it is important that you know more about how to relax.
Discovery of stress
It all started when, in 1926, a young Austrian medical student named Hans Selye realized that many of the patients he treated had a series of similar symptoms. Some of these symptoms included tiredness, weight loss, weakness, and loss of appetite.
At first, Selye called this “sick syndrome.” However, as time passed and he obtained his doctorate, Selye did several experiments and corroborated the existence of organic alterations. This caused him to rename the set of symptoms, and called them: “biological stress.”
Selye’s contributions were very important, since, later, she also discovered that not only physical agents could cause stress, but also social demands. Thus, although stress can often be triggered by organic causes, he considered it primarily as a psychological phenomenon, as research shows.
Work stress
Selye came to define stress as: “the body’s general response to any stressful stimulus or stressful situation.” So, today, this concept is used applied to different areas. This is why we have also heard about job stress.
Studies indicate that work stress is a specific form of stress that occurs within the work environment, where situations or factors that act as stressors can be identified.
Sources of work stress
Reports indicate that the sources of work stress can be diverse, such as:
- Physical conditions: temperature, air purity, luminosity, noise, physical space, furniture, machines and work instruments.
- Temporary distribution of work: shift work, duration, distribution throughout the day, requirement to fulfill tasks in a limited or scarce time and others.
- Labor demand: which can refer to quantity or quality, when this is difficult or represents a great responsibility.
- Lack of definition of the tasks to be carried out.
- Personal conflicts, among others.
Work-related stress is a process that begins with symptoms that may go unnoticed, until it becomes a major problem due to its persistence over time. Therefore, it is wise to learn some ways to relax in the office or other stressful work environments.
Strategies to relax in the office
In recent years, relaxation techniques have been accepted in the medical community as possible adjuvants against stress and its effects. In this way, you can support yourself with some exercises and strategies that allow you to relax in the office. Choose any of the options that we detail below.
1. Make visualizations
This exercise is interesting when it comes to clearing your mind. To do this, imagine that you are in a place that you really like. Close your eyes, breathe slowly, and let your imagination do the rest. The goal is to try to focus only on that special place and avoid intrusive thoughts.
2. Listen to music
While some songs can be distracting, some pieces of music are great for calming your mind and feeling relaxed. Headphones are important so as not to disturb colleagues.
3. Do breathing exercises
Relaxation-focused breathing exercises are ideal for reducing stress and anxiety at work. Each time you exhale you can also try to imagine that difficulties are coming out of your life.
4. Drink some water
Dehydration can affect mental performance problems. Therefore, when you have stress at the office, it is good to take a break to drink some water or healthy drinks, such as juices, herbal teas or other infusions.
5. Prepare a schedule
Task planning is a good strategy to optimize time and reduce the tendency to work against the clock. So, if your stress is caused by lack of time, do not hesitate to prepare your schedule in advance.
6. Do stretching
Stretching exercises can be useful to relax areas such as the neck, legs or back, especially if they have already spent many hours in front of the computer.
You can start with slow movements of the head, rocking it backwards and then forwards, also sideways or in circles. It is also recommended to rotate your wrists, stand up, or stretch your legs while sitting.
7. Walk a bit
Whether it’s to go to the bathroom, drink water in the rest area, wash your face, chat a bit with a partner, among others, these breaks increase productivity. In general, walking has many benefits beyond helping you enter a relaxed state.
8. Take care of your posture
The way you sit is very important. If you don’t do it correctly, you may experience tiredness or pain in your lower back. So make sure your back is straight, your feet are flat on the ground, and your knees are level with your hips.
Final recommendations to relax in the office
Remember that to relax in the office it also works to create a cozy atmosphere. Get rid of everything that causes disorder, incorporate a plant inside or on the desk and complement with photos or objects that cause you good memories. If you want, you can also use a scent diffuser. A little aromatherapy doesn’t hurt. Keep that in mind!
