Living under stress all the time is something we've already normalized, but that doesn't mean it's right, much less that it can't be avoided. This brief guide will help you with practical exercises so that you can properly manage stress in the office.
Living under stress all the time is something we have normalised, but that does not mean that it is right and even less that it cannot be avoided. Stress is one of the worst enemies of quality of life and tends to manifest itself mainly in the work environment and from there affect other personal areas. At Zen to Go we want to see you calm and relaxed, that's why we have prepared for you this brief guide that will help you with practical exercises so that you can properly manage stress in the office.
How does stress affect our body and mind?
Stress is not so much a state of mind as a series of processes of hormonal activation of the body in the face of a real or imaginary threat, which has very real physical consequences. In excess it causes, among other things:
- Muscle pains, especially in the cervical and lumbar areas
- Insomnia
- Migraine or frequent headaches
- Digestive disorders such as colitis, diarrhea or constipation
- Irritability
- Loss of memory and concentration
- Fatigue
- Weight loss or gain
In extreme cases, stress can be the direct cause of gastric ulcers, sexual dysfunction and even lead to clinical depression.
Stress and work productivity
What we colloquially call "stress" is actually a physiological response that occurs when the body prepares to fight a threat. In evolutionary terms it is a very adaptive strategy whether it is escaping from a predator or hunting prey, but in the modern work context it becomes a kind of diffuse general malaise that does not help us either to perform better or to achieve our goals.
Paradoxically, the more stressed we are, the less we perform, the less assertive we are and the worse our decisions are. Combating stress is not only a health issue, but also a productivity one.
Techniques for relieving stress in the office
Neither the work, nor the problems, nor the challenges in the office are really over. Stress occurs when we over-dimension everyday and unavoidable elements of our working day, carry all the responsibility on our shoulders and try to push as far as possible processes that have their own rhythm. To fight against this harmful inertia, discipline and punctual actions are needed. Here we explain some of them:
1.- Take short breaks at least every hour
Forcing attention on the same task and maintaining the same posture for more than fifty or sixty minutes begins to take its toll on both our mind and body. It is by no means healthy to be continually glued to the chair and the computer for eight hours.
Try to clear your mind and stretch your muscles for a moment every hour of work. As far as possible, also try to organize your tasks in such a way that you can vary the nature of the activities you do.
Among other things, you can get up for a glass of water to stay hydrated, or do one of the exercises below.
2.- Anti-stress muscle relaxation
Preferably you should do this exercise standing up, paying attention to maintain a straight cervical posture, shoulders back and diaphragm wide open; be fully aware of the neck muscles, which is where much of the stress tends to accumulate.
Slowly perform ten movements with your head up and down, and then do another ten repetitions bringing your chin to the left and right. Finally, repeat the exercise by bringing your left ear to your shoulder and vice versa. Try to coordinate your movements with your breathing. You can also relax your shoulders and hips with gentle circular movements.
Practicing this simple routine once or twice a day will make a big difference as it will allow stress to be properly released rather than building up to the end of the day.
3.- Controlled deep breathing
Most of the time, we humans breathe in and out with short, rhythmic nasal breaths that we are not usually aware of. This kind of automatic breathing does not occupy even 30% of the lung capacity and therefore keeps oxygenation at acceptable, but not deep, levels.
Proper oxygenation of the brain and tissues is equivalent to "charging the battery" of concentration and facilitates focus as well as emotional relaxation. It is very easy to do controlled deep breathing exercises, you can do them from the comfort of your chair and they will take only a couple of minutes.
- Adopt a comfortable position with your back straight and your eyes closed
- Inhale steadily while counting, slowly, up to ten
- It attempts to fill the lungs from the base of the rib cage or diaphragm
- Exhale slowly while counting to ten
- Repeat five or six times
4.- Meditation
Meditation is not only a fashionable practice, but a scientifically proven technique to decrease levels of anxiety, stress and irritability. What exactly is meditation? Basically, it is freeing the mind from the past and the future to land in the here and now.
There are different meditation techniques that vary widely from one another: some seek to leave the mind completely blank and others resort to guided visualizations that promote states of well-being. Regardless of which one suits your personality best, taking five or ten minutes a day to meditate is a safe bet for managing work stress.
5.- The power of laughter and music
Stress is a state that has a lot to do with altering blood pressure and mental processes, because it makes us focus on problems and not on solutions. A simple and effective way to return to a state of well-being and creativity and "think outside the box", is to listen to our favorite music or simply laugh for a moment.
Music positively influences the heart rate and hinders the release of stress hormones. Laughter, on the other hand, helps to relax muscle tension and promotes an avalanche of happiness hormones. That's why pausing to listen to a song that gets you in the mood or simply joking with a co-worker is actually a very healthy way to improve your performance.
In addition to the practical tips you have just read, consider that you can always resort to one of our anti-stress massages at home at the end of a particularly heavy day or week. It's super simple, just log in to our App and select the type of massage you need: we will come to the comfort of your home or even your office.
