Spending long hours at a desk can cause muscular aches and discomfort, lead to physiological changes that increase the risk of chronic illness, and make you feel mentally sluggish and demotivated. Small self care breaks can make a huge difference, improving how you feel immediately and giving you a chance to focus in on yourself and your wellbeing – maybe a starting point to make small positive changes to your workday habits and routines, to create longer term benefits. Can you take 5 minutes a few times per day to put yourself first? Feel better and you’ll work more effectively.
Encourage your desk workers to boost well-being by sharing our ideas for 20 self care breaks:
Table of Contents
1. Morning routines
Can you can fit one or more of these in before starting work? Taking 5 minutes out from the morning rush can help to wake up the mind and body and make you feel more in control and prepared for the day:
Our Wake up and stretch sequence is a super gentle way to start the day. It can even be done n bed!
Our Get going sequence includes gentle stretches and a bit of dynamic movement to raise energy levels.
Get outside as soon as possible after you wake up to help regulate your body’s natural clock, as well as boosting your mood, reducing stress and improving energy levels.
Get organised – a brief tidy up of your workspace (physical and/or electronic) can reduce stress levels, improve your mood and help you to feel more in control.
2. Calm your mind
Can you fit in 5 minutes of a calming self care practice? Maybe before starting work, before a meeting or after a difficult conversation?
Breathe and focus is a video practice to help you feel, calmer, more centred and more able to focus and concentrate.
Our Five minutes peace practice combines the benefits of a calming breath practice with an easy yoga pose to help you relax.
Our Calming meditation is an easy practice to reduce stress and improve focus. It can be done at your desk.
Or try a 5 minute Nature cure to tap into the powers of nature to lift your spirits and reduce stress and anxiety.
3. Lift your spirits
Sitting for long periods can make you feel dull and sluggish. Can you take 5 minutes to lift your spirits and bring your smile back?
Our Five minute workout includes a series of movements and poses to help raise your energy levels and motivation.
Our Whole body flow is a video practice which gently gets the body moving, opens the chest and mobilises the neck and shoulders – a sure way to feel better after a stint at the keyboard.
Or Get social – making time for a quick positive social interaction, whether face to face, on the phone or a quick WhatsApp chat will make you feel happier and more connected – especially if you are alone a lot during the working day.
Or Having a laugh can act as medicine, reducing tension, stress and anxiety and improving mood and energy levels. Can you make sure you are finding opportunities to laugh every day?
4. Improve your mood
Scientific studies have confirmed what we know intuitively – that even a small amount of movement after a period of being static can radically improve how you feel. See our blog The magic of movement : evidence based strategies to support desk workers’ mental health.
Even a quick Neck and shoulder release at the desk will help, or
try a quick yoga flow like our Whole body flow to wake up the body and mind.
Combining music with movement ramps up the effect even more. If you’re working from home, can you have a quick Dance break? Moving however you like to an upbeat track?
Or just go for a short walk 250 steps per hour is often set as a minimum target on fitness apps and should only take 2 or 3 minutes – could you walk round the block, down the hallway and back or just on the spot a few times a day?
5. Nourish your soul
It’s easy to get sucked into constant treadmill of activity at work so that the hours pass with you barely noticing. You may enjoy the feeling of challenge and achievement. But keeping your mind on one track for too long may be counter productive, reducing creativity and problem solving ability and increasing the risk of errors. A short break to do something that makes you feel good can brighten your mood, broaden your perspective and improve your effectiveness.
Can you find an opportunity for an Act of kindness to a friend or colleague, or to a stranger? This can give you an effect known as the “helper’s high” – even if the action is very small. Make sure that you take a moment to register how you feel afterwards.
To be kind to yourself, you could make a mini mindfulness ritual out of having a Cup of tea. Select your brew carefully depending on how you feel and take a few minutes to sip slowly, focussing on the look, smell and taste of your drink.
Or use the power of Music therapy. Music can boost your mood, improve cognitive performance, reduce anxiety or promote relaxation. Could you build playlists of tracks that work for you? Even listening to one track can produce benefits.
To ramp up the effect of music even more, why not find a moment to Sing out to a favourite track? Singing often has a rapid positive effect on mood and reduces stress and anxiety. You may find that it also improves mental alertness and ability to focus.
Conclusion
You don’t need hours of free time to prioritize your wellbeing. By weaving small, self care practices into your day, you can improve your mood, reduce stress and improve your effectiveness at work. Start with one or two ideas and build from there.
Helen Withers, Director, YoPO Wellbeing Limited
If you would like any further information on this update or to request access to YoPO’s bank of wellbeing resources for desk workers, please contact hello@yoponow.com.
References
- Mainsbridge CP, Cooley D, Dawkins S, de Salas K, Tong J, Schmidt MW and Pedersen SJ (2020) Taking a Stand for Office-Based Workers’ Mental Health: The Return of the Microbreak. Front. Public Health 8:215. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00215
- How yoga, meditation benefit the mind and body (medicalnewstoday.com
