Everyone gets stressed from time to time, usually at the office. The question is, do you send stress packing or let it upset your whole day? If you fall into the latter category, check out Dumb Little Man’s five tips on relaxing at work when stress strikes. For starters, breathe:
All you need to do is sit down and very slowly bring your attention to your breath. Focus on the feeling of the breath going in and out of your nose. If other thoughts enter into your mind just let them pass. Don’t judge them or try to force them out. Just notice them and then bring your awareness back to the breath.
Now we are going to count 10 rounds of the breath. A “round” is one inhale and one exhale. This is a lot harder than you think because the stressed mind will jump around like a monkey whose pants are on fire! If you lose count before you get to 10 simply start again.
The author also recommends moving outdoors for a few minutes, downing a cup of tea, listening to classical music, and telling yourself to “just relax.” To the list I would add distracting yourself for 5-10 minutes, meaning giving your brain a chance to focus on something other than what’s stressing you. Best bet: Watch a video on your phone or iPod, preferably something funny.
How do you de-stress at work? Hit the Comments and share your secrets. Meanwhile, don’t miss our previous post on the subject: Kill Stress Dead. Photo by bri v.
