6 effective ways to relax at the office

Effective ways to relax

Currently in work and business life, stress and anxiety are common. Two conditions associated with increasing demands on our work environment and that force us to constantly live under stress. What in most cases is manifested through physical and mental exhaustion, mainly due to long hours of work. And it inevitably ends up affecting our health and our productivity.

In these situations, it is necessary to take a break and fortunately, there are effective ways to relax in the office, which can help us release stress and anxiety. Join us to discover what they are and how you can put them into practice.

1. Breathe deeply

Breathing is the key to calm and well-being if practiced regularly. In fact, the benefits of deep breathing are well documented and one of them is relaxation. And it is that by doing so we provide our body with oxygen in a more leisurely, constant and regular way, which makes our muscles also stop being tense.

While, for its part, the sympathetic system stops sending its high peaks of cortisol and adrenaline to our body. Allowing us to enter a state of calm.

In case of stress, a highly recommended exercise that we can put into practice in any situation or place is the following. Close your eyes and let go of your body, then breathe as deeply as possible until your lungs fill with air.

We will keep it there for a few seconds and then we will exhale very slowly always through the nose. Repeat it about 5 times, always supporting your back well and trying to forget everything around you for greater relaxation.

Another exercise that we can practice in the office is diaphragmatic breathing. For this we must inhale through the nose if you can, for 3 to 5 seconds or as long as you feel comfortable. Allow your stomach to inflate as air enters your lungs. And breathe out slowly through your mouth until your stomach drops, as the air leaves your lungs. You can repeat this method several times a day, as necessary.

2. Take short breaks

Although we might think that breaks are a waste of time and we often underestimate the option of taking them. When stress appears this is not a smart option and rest becomes an obligation if you want to be more productive. Well, it is a way to give the body and mind enough rest to reactivate our energy and our brain.

Try as much as possible to take 5 minutes after every hour of work so as not to think about anything. This time is more than enough to relax a bit.

3. Adopt correct postures

One of the bad habits that we have and that without realizing it affect our mood and health are bad posture when sitting. Although there are those who do not care about it, maintaining poor posture for long periods can have a negative impact on our health and productivity. With consequences ranging from back, neck and head pain, to wasting of the spine and problems in the muscles and bones.

Therefore, adopting a correct posture is another way to feel more relaxed and comfortable in the office. For which, it is essential to have the most ergonomic furniture possible. For example, an executive chair that has an adjustable height, that allows our feet to be with the soles flat on the floor and the knees at the same height as the hips. But if it also has armrests and headrests, even better.

We can take advantage of the back of the chair to straighten the back and also support the cervical. In this way we can rest our back and avoid contractures, headaches or dizziness, as well as injuries to the neck and spine. In addition, we can relax, at least a little, between all the work.

4. Listen to music

Music has a calming effect on our mind. It is advisable to listen to instrumental or classical music, since it has been shown through studies that they have that calming effect that we seek. In addition, they help reduce heart rate, blood pressure and even stress-related hormone levels.

Likewise, we can try to listen to a playlist with songs that we like a lot (as long as they do not have slow or sad rhythms). In both cases it is advisable to use headphones so as not to disturb your office colleagues.

5. Visualize

Those of us who work in offices generally spend many hours in front of a screen and in many cases in monochrome work environments that can be boring. However, in times of anxiety and stress we need to induce healthy moods that allow us to relax and have pleasant sensations.

A very effective technique to achieve this is visualization, which is also easy to do. To do this, you can close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine that you are somewhere you would like to be. Perhaps an island paradise or a city that you have visited or would like to go to. You can help yourself with a screen image or a photograph taped to the wall.

Imagine that you are doing something that relaxes you, for example, enjoying a good meal, chatting with friends, or going for a walk. And incorporate as much sensory detail as possible. If you are thinking about the beach, it could be: The sunset over the water, the sound of the waves or the smell of the sea, among others.

By the time you have settled into that scene you have imagined and you have relaxed into it, your anxiety will be gone. From now on and whenever you feel the need for deep relaxation, close your eyes and move to that special place.

6. Walk

With strenuous work hours and even under normal conditions sitting for a long time is not the best practice for staying healthy. But, what many of us seem to ignore is that we can also take advantage of working hours to relax and be healthy by walking a little.

Of course, it is not about walking around while answering the phone or answering messages. Ideally, we take advantage of the time we have to rest and use it to walk a bit.

It can be walking through the corridors, going for tea or walking through a beautiful and nearby area. We can even make stops to talk with a colleague about issues that do not have to do with work, drink water or wash our face. This time will help us to disconnect from work and stressful situations, and will also influence an increase in productivity.