Wellness in the Workplace

Your wellness is up to you. How are you taking care of your health most of the time? People spend the majority of their week working. Whether you are working from home or heading to the office, this article is for you.

Nature is nurturing. Bring mother nature to your office for calming and balance. Trees, plants and stones have negative ions which are beneficial for our nervous system. Plants balance out humidity, cleanse the air and dampen noise. Keep windows open for soothing air flow and movement of stagnant energy. Consider an air purifier, especially if there are toxins in the workplace, (e.g., a hair salon with formaldehyde in beauty products). Crystals have healing powers. They offset the radiation and bluelight which is in technology that ignites our sympathetic nervous system and causes us stress. You can never have too many crystals! Use blueblocker glasses and screen protection too. 

Birthday celebrations are inevitable and with the bigger companies, this could be a weekly or monthly occurrence, so make it healthy. Find a gluten-free or plant-based bakery near you. Wash the cake down with good quality water. Get a glass bottle and ditch the plastic to avoid toxins. If you’re in charge of the water dispenser at work, find a company that delivers in glass bottles.

Learn the signs of stress exhibited by co-workers. This is important because the people physically close to us (for hours on end), affect us for better or worse. Energy flows and it is palpable. Mental health deserves attention. Extend a caring gesture and reach out. Helping others, helps you. Mindfulness is a beautiful practice that you can bring to work to help you. Take moments often to check-in with yourself. Take ten deep breaths, often, to reset your nervous system: in the car, at your desk, in a meeting, or in the bathroom. Just do it to bring any situation into a better perspective. It can keep you away from a state of reacting – which can be inflammatory to a state of responding – which can be productive.

Movement is key. Sitting is the new smoking. Get up every hour to stretch or walk. Lead standing meetings. If you have the ability to walk to work or bike ride, take advantage of that. Maybe take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or, park a little further from the building than you normally do to get in those extra steps. Appoint a health ambassador in the office and have them organize a wellness day once a month. Happy employees are productive and creative. Invest in them and reap the rewards. Wellness is the gift that keeps on giving.