Self-Care for Office Workers

When you sit at a computer desk job all day, it’s important to take care of yourself. Stress calls for relaxation strategies. Eye strain can be addressed with vision self-care, fatigue with good sleep practices (and a good nap now and then). Pausing to take a nice deep breath, honing your personal productivity skills, and paying attention to work-life balance can all help your mental and spiritual fitness at work.

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9 Stress-Management Practices for Office Workers

April 29, 2013

Stress management begins with good general fitness habits. Regular exercise, good nutrition, sound sleep patterns, and other good health habits can all help reduce your stress levels. But beyond these fitness basics there are a number of practices you can use to specifically manage stress. Many of these practices come from the mind-body tradition. Your [...]

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14 Reasons to Manage Your Stress Level at Work

April 25, 2013

I don’t mean to stress you out further with this information, but the chronic stress that is so common in the modern office can lead to a distressingly long list of maladies. Heart Disease While scientists have yet to determine the exact causal mechanisms, there is a ton of evidence that links chronic stress to [...]

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Men and Women Respond to Stress Differently

April 23, 2013

As I research the office fitness book, I’m encountering all kinds of interesting items in the scholarly research literature. For example, it turns out that women and men respond differently to stress (and this difference might explain why women live longer than men). Who knew? Well, we didn’t actually have the opportunity to know until [...]

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When It Comes to Stress, Are You an Orchid or a Dandelion?

April 22, 2013

When you respond to stress in the office, are you more of a delicate orchid? Or a hardy dandelion? Understanding your specific stress-response style (and the style of your co-workers) can help you deal with stress in the office. Intriguing recent research by developmental psychologists links your genetic make-up to your personality. Looking at how [...]

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What’s Your Office Stress Style?

April 18, 2013

I love this analogy from the American Institute of Stress comparing stress to a roller coaster ride: “Some are hunched down in the back seats, eyes shut, jaws clenched and white knuckled with an iron grip on the retaining bar. They can’t wait for the ride in the torture chamber to end so they can [...]

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50 of the World’s Healthiest Foods

June 29, 2012

I was annoyed to find that I had to horizontally scroll through the Huffington Post’s list of 50 of the healthiest foods. Here’s a more scan-able version of their list. Almonds Apples Artichoke hearts Avocado Beets Beans Bell peppers Blackberries & Raspberries Black tea Blueberries Broccoli Brown rice Brussels sprouts Cherries Chia seeds Coffee Cranberries [...]

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Get Outside – It Just Might Help Your Eyes

October 25, 2011

I often half-jokingly say that I’m only halfway there. I have left desk work for a more active career as a massage therapist. Now I just need to figure out how to get outside. While I was thinking more about the physical and spiritual benefits of life as a gardener, stone mason, or forest ranger, [...]

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Clean Your Desk and Save Your Career with GTD

August 24, 2011

A messy desk can ruin your career. That’s the word from a recent study on workplace neatness by CareerBuilder.com: “Nearly three-in-ten (28 percent) employers say they are less likely to promote someone who has a disorganized or messy work space.” If bringing order and organization to your workspace can improve your career prospects, then it’s [...]

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Sleep Hygiene for Office Workers

August 22, 2011

My last post was about napping. Even more more important than catching up is getting a good night’s sleep in the first place. Here’s what the experts have to say about sleep hygiene. The National Sleep Foundation defines sleep hygiene as “a variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep [...]

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Types of Naps for Office Workers

August 19, 2011

The most commonly checked condition on my new-client intake form is “sleep problems.” Plenty of other sources bolster my suspicion that few of us are getting enough sleep at night. Regular napping can help rejuvenate you and make up for the sleep you didn’t get last night. Napping is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution. Here [...]

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