Archive for February, 2010
Reduce Stress At Work
One of the biggest causes of stress in peoples’ lives is undoubtedly work. In the workplace stress can come from almost every angle, whether it’s the tasks you are expected to do, the people you work with, your boss(es) or the lack of space around you. There are ways to reduce stress at the workplace so you can go home feeling much more calm than you normally would. All you have to do is use the following office relaxation techniques.
Breathe Deeply
If you feel things getting on top of you stop what you are doing and take ten deep breaths. This will properly oxygenate your blood giving you a new burst of energy while lowering stress levels. This is perhaps the most powerful office relaxation technique there
Eliminate Clutter
Don't let stress at work make you ill.
If you work at a desk or in a confined space try your best to keep it neat and tidy. Eliminating clutter can be very therapeutic and it also means that when you need to find something quickly you will be able to do so without turning the place upside down and creating unnecessary stress.
One Task At a Time
Multitasking creates a lot of stress as the mind struggles to focus on more than one activity at once. Some believe that multitasking saves time but this is a fallacy. Instead you should write a list of tasks you need to do and complete them in order of importance. You will be able to focus better on each task and your quality of work will actually improve without wasting any time.
For more about this read my previous article The Stress of Multitasking.
Take Your Break Outside
Most workplaces will give you two ten or fifteen minute breaks along with half an hour for lunch. First things first, no matter how much work you have to do you should always take your breaks. Time away from your desk will give you mind a chance to rest and you will feel refocused when you return.
To get the most from your break, if the weather is nice, you should take it outside. Fresh air is rejuvenating and you can take the opportunity to go for a quick walk. This is a great way to reduce stress.
Stay Away From Negative People and Conversations
There’s always going to be a group of negative people at any workplace. Do your best to steer clear of these kind of people as they will drag you down with them. Similarly negative conversations will also put you in a negative frame of mind so try to be positive at all times.
Learn To Say No
Unfortunately some people will try to take advantages of others at work by coercing them to do their work for them. If a boss or colleague is heaping work on you faster than you can finish it you have to put your foot down, say no, and tell them that you simply can’t do it without the amount of other things you need to do.
You’d be surprised how many people try and pass work on that really they should be doing themselves. Don’t allow yourself to be a doormat in this way.
It can be hard to summon the courage to say no but one way to gain the mental strength required is with hypnosis. HypnoBusters sell an effective session on MP3 appropriately titled Say No Hypnosis.
Reducing stress at work can take some effort but it really is worthwhile. Most people spend around a third of their weekdays either at work or travelling to work so if you can reduce or eliminate the stress this causes you are well on your way to be a totally calm and relaxed human being.
Eye Relaxation Exercises
The eyes hold more tension than many people realise. This tension can lead to headaches as well as impaired vision. However by using eye relaxation exercises you can reduce this tension and slow down the deterioration of your eyes, and in some cases people have even reported an improvement in their vision! I myself am prescribed glasses yet I rarely wear them because they are weak lenses and I keep my eyes in good condition by frequently performing these eye relaxation exercises.
Don’t worry if you don’t have time to do all these eye relaxation exercises everyday but try to do at least one or two so that you see a real long-term benefit.
Peripheral Sunning
Eye relaxation exercises can improve your eyesight.
We all spend too much time in front of a screen of one kind or another. Whether it’s the TV, a computer monitor or a cell phone. This results in poor peripheral vision as we are constantly staring at a fixed point straight ahead. Peripheral sunning can help you undo this damage.
To do this eye relaxation exercise you need to be outdoors on a day where the sun is out. Look into the sky, not directly at the sun (as this causes damage) but just underneath it. Now slowly move your head to the left while keeping your eyes looking just underneath the sun, then move your head to the right slowly. Repeat this motion for a couple of minutes. This allows the sunlight to reach every part of your eyes which improves the strength of your peripheral vision. It also helps improve the circulation of blood around your neck which increases the speed of repair.
Distance Focus
For this eye relaxation exercise you will need a picture or poster on a wall, with ten feet of room to move back from. Alternatively you can use a plant or tree outdoors to focus on. First stand about a foot away from the object and focus on it for 10 seconds. Then take step back a foot and focus on the object again for ten seconds. Repeat this process until you are stood ten feet away. As the name suggests this exercise helps improves your focusing abilities.
Ocular Development
Ocular development helps to improve the strength of muscles which control the vertical and horizontal movement of your eyes. It’s a fancy name for a really simple exercise. To start move your eyes up and down ten times. Once you have completed this then do the same thing, only this time from left to right. If you want to be really thorough you can also go this diagonally from top-left to bottom-right, then from top-right to bottom-left. You can also vary the speed each day you use this exercise. One day you can move your eyes very slowly, and then very quickly the next day. Each speed develops the muscles in a different way.
The ocular development exercise only takes a couple of minutes and you can do it anywhere so it’s a great eye relaxation exercise to do while the commercials are on TV or you’re waiting for something to load on your computer.
Follow The 10-10-10 Rule
This final eye relaxation exercise is very easy to remember and do and will save your eyes from deteriorating due to focusing too much on nearby objects (books, TVs, monitors, etc). The 10-10-10 rule says that when you are focusing on a nearby object, every 10 minutes stop and look at an object 10 feet away for 10 seconds. 10-10-10. Focusing on a object close to you for too long can cause serious long-term damage to the ciliary muscles. By following the 10-10-10 rule you are giving your ciliary muscles a chance to relax and “cool off” for a short period of time before they go back to work looking at the nearby object.
- Every 10 minutes…
- Look at an object 10 feet away…
- For 10 seconds.
Three simple points that can save your eyes a great deal of wear and tear.
The four exercises above are the ones that have had the most success for me personally. There are a lot more eye relaxation exercises that can help to improve your vision naturally but I will save them for another day. So please start to implement these eye exercises into your daily routine and let me know how you’re getting on with them.
Are you seeing an improvement? Please leave a comment and share your experience.