Whether or not your work culture operates on an all-or-nothing binary of grinding and slacking, the idea of using relaxation techniques to improve the workplace might feel like a surprising, even revolutionary shift. But it’s not that complicated: even when some employees claim to work well under pressure, the need to offer and accommodate stress-reducing exercises and activities can benefit productivity as well as worker wellbeing. In honour of National Relaxation Day, here are seven simple ways employees can add some much-needed calm to their work hours.

1. Have lunch with colleagues. Having some face-to-face time with coworkers in a more casual setting will help maintain social connections, help you collect your thoughts, and get a few distractions off your mind.
2. Meditate. If you need a breather, why not take the term literally? Take five somewhere quiet and calming and do some deep-breathing exercises so your mental clutter can reset. Your physical state will settle down enough to help you through more of your day, too.
3. Go for a walk. Outside is best, weather permitting; the fresh air will, as the saying goes, do you some good. But even rainy days shouldn’t stop you from stretching your legs: even indoors, breaking out of your usual space can help reboot your mood.
4. Exercise. Walking is a good start, but it’s not just the change of scenery that helps: it should also motivate the circulation and work off some tense energy as well. It can help to take a few minutes to move around, and you don’t even have to keep things too strenuous.
5. Stretch. Every so often — a half-hour is good — you should take a moment to pay attention to your posture, limber up a bit, and work your joints. No matter your age, you should be able to get a much-needed dose of calming physical stimulus by giving your muscles a bit of a stretch, even a slow, low-impact one.
6. Disconnect. Whether it’s social media skirmishes or a tense true-crime podcast, some of the things we use as entertaining distractions can also work up stressors that get in the way of both productivity and mental well-being. Unplug from those distractions when you can.
7. Declutter. Ever notice the therapeutic feeling that comes from tossing out a bunch of junk-drawer miscellany you had building up, or the strange satisfaction of getting some scattered books and papers organized? Getting rid of clutter and tidying up your workspace can have a collateral effect on your mind.

 

From standing desks to fitness centers, workspaces themselves can also help contribute to a low-stress work environment. Aura can provide design solutions that will promote an employee-centric strategy for your office space — feel free to get in touch for more information.

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