Many of us find ourselves in situations at work (or in our lives in general) where we are sitting for long periods of time. These situations are the perfect opportunity for a wellness break. In less than 5 minutes time you can work on stress relief, mental focus/clarity, blood flow, mood, heart health and so much more. Seems to good to be true, I know…but it really does work. I challenge each of you to conduct at least one wellness break each and every day.
Start your wellness break by finding a comfortable position in your chair. Tense up all of your muscles and then release them all to a relaxed state. Close your eyes and take a slow deep breath in through your nose and release that breath through your mouth visioning all of the negative thoughts and energy leaving your body with that exhale. Repeat the relaxing cleansing breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth two to three more times. This exercise will help relieve stress and bring your mental focus back to a mindful state.
Next stand and stretch up as tall as you can, stand on your tip-toes and reach for the skies. Then reach your arms out to your sides and imagine somebody pulling on each of your arms stretching them out as far as they will go. Finally, return your arms down to your sides and flap your arms slightly tapping the sides of your legs. This exercise may feel and look a little silly, but it will help get your blood flowing and get you to a more alert state of mind.
Round off your wellness break with a grand finale of laughter. Laughter can relieve physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. It decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells which can improve your resistance to disease and it triggers the release of endorphins to promote an overall sense of well-being. Laughter also improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
Laughter not only provides all of these physical benefits, but it can also ease anxiety and fear, improve your mood, enhance reliance, strengthen relationships, enhance teamwork and help defuse conflict. Laughter really is the best medicine and should be done at least once a day. If you need a little assistance to get you laughing, try looking up ‘baby laughing’ on YouTube! You are sure to find a video or few that will get you laughing!
Until next time…wishing you all a good belly laugh!
Compassion Bulldog 