De-stressing at Work

De-stressing at Work

Stress is that illusive distraction that can hinder your ability to really focus your attention.  With so many potential sources of tension or demands for your attention, the most effective strategies for getting productive have everything to do with first getting grounded.  

start where you are.  Make it a goal to arrive ten minutes early to work every day.  Spend 3-5 minutes just getting adjusted to your environment by getting comfortable, taking a few slow deep belly breaths, and letting go of outside distractions.  Breathe in relaxation and breathe out tension.  

organize. So much of the day can be wasted on poor organization.  Review your schedule, get your work space cleaned up, and prepare for the day.  Taking those few extra minutes at the beginning of each day will save a lot of time in the long run.  

acknowledge the positives.  It is easy to get hung up on short-comings and ways that you can do better- but it is just as easy to give yourself credit for the positives.  Let yourself take moments every day to be optimistic, proud, and aware of the good things.  Look for the positives and take mental notes of them.  

random acts of kindness.  This is possibly the easiest and most rewarding daily task!  Find opportunities to compliment someone, help them out, or make a moment of their life better in any way.  Do this without expectation and for the pure joy of making someone else feel good.

tech-free time.  This may be the most challenging of all five! Take a few breaks during the day and leave all of the screens behind.  Check messages or make personal calls before or after eating lunch.  Try not to distract yourself while you eat.  Zoning out on Twitter, Facebook, NPR, etc... is only adding more stress to your day- even if you believe you are getting some down time.  

4-7-8 Relaxing Breath Exercise

4-7-8 (relaxing breath) Exercise

"Practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders."
Andrew Weil, M.D.

This exercise is utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere. Although you can do the exercise in any position, sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four (4)

• Hold your breath for a count of seven (7)

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight (8)

• This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth. The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time. Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation. The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important. If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.

This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass.

Take this exercise with you everywhere you go… traffic, the grocery line, your desk, watching tv, etc. Set an alarm on your phone if you need the reminder.  Just a few minutes per day may be the key to better stress management.