9 quick and easy ways to relax at work without leaving your desk

Stress, you know, can play tricks. Work stress, then, is usually underestimated, because it is seen simply as a necessary consequence of responsibilities, deadlines, and normal routines, yet even this can cause light or even heavier ailments in the long run. Neglected stress can present itself suddenly in the form of skin reactions, lack of strength, or even panic attacks.

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Unfortunately, often you cannot leave your workplace to run home to rest, or to have a massage in a SPA ... This is why it is important to find time to do small "exercises" even while sitting at your desk. , to work.

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Here is a small list with 9 tips to relieve stress even while you are at your desk.

1. Sip some tea

It may sound nonsense, but sipping a hot cup of tea at your desk can help you a lot. Chamomile tea would be even better: it is known for its calming properties, and will help you relax your muscles and soothe anxiety. The very need to stop every now and then to resume your cup will dictate a slower pace which is sure to have its effect. !

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2. BREATHE

Breathe. It is worth repeating: breathe. The quiet rhythm of breathing will bring oxygen into the blood more easily, and this will keep you calm and strong, helping you to overcome anxiety and fatigue.

There is also an effective breathing technique that you can easily perform whenever you want, taking five minutes: stand with your legs aligned at your hips, and looking around slowly inhale the air with your nose, while lifting your arms to the sides. . As you breathe in this way, the diaphragm goes down and the stomach relaxes. Then exhale through your mouth, bringing your arms down. The exercise should be repeated 30 times, starting slowly and gradually doing it faster.

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If you find the exercise embarrassing, you can always lock yourself in an empty office or bathroom to do it. You will surely come out more relaxed!

3. Find help in technology

If there are so many apps, there will be a reason. The use of technology that we recommend in this case is not what you think: of course, technology lightens workloads, or in any case speeds them up, but here we are talking about something else ... Anamya is a "smartphone app dedicated to relaxation and meditation. When you feel overwhelmed and feel like you are about to explode, check out the app which will provide you with great tips on how to stay calm and detached, thinking first of all about your well-being.

4. Do strechting

One of the most frequent problems of sitting at a desk all the time is soreness, and in the long run, the ease of having cramps and pains. However, there are methods for stretching while sitting at the desk.

Beginning with the feet, begin to rotate them clockwise and then counterclockwise, in order to facilitate the flow of blood from the legs to the heart. After this exercise, stretch your legs under the desk and raise your arms over your head: this will help the blood flow more easily, avoiding muscle and joint problems.

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In addition to this, contracting the abdominal muscles, quadriceps and glutes will help these areas not to become sore.

5. Stimulate your pressure points

There is another technique to relax without having to leave the desk: acupressure. It goes back to acupuncture, but it doesn't involve needles or the need for experts to exercise it. It's about finding your own pressure points, as you do in acupuncture, but instead of putting needles on, just apply a little pressure. Here are two simple acupressure exercises you can do at your desk, they are simple and discreet, so don't worry about looking crazy to your colleagues!

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Yintang: Place a finger in the space between the eyebrows, on the root of the nose, and by applying pressure move it a little upwards.You will thus have reached the point where the third eye is believed to reside: by lightly massaging that area you will return calm and balanced.

Heart 7: Find the flexion point of the wrist, towards the little finger. Start from the base of the little finger and press down with your finger towards the outer corner of the palm. Once you get there, start massaging, because there is concentrated a rather high accumulation of anxiety, which you can easily disperse.

6. Tidy up your desk

Easy, right? Keeping your desk tidy will help keep your head tidy, making you less confused and anxious. Take a good look at the desk and try to figure out what you really need. A free desk helps you to find what you are looking for right away, without starting to search frantically.

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7. Resort to aromatherapy

You may think it's a new age nonsense, but it costs nothing to try: aromatherapy sometimes works wonders! Try putting two drops of Neroli oil in the diffuser, and before sitting at your desk, put two on your chest. Then, once sitting at your desk, close your eyes for a while and breathe slowly. You will immediately feel better, and ready to start your day.

8. Eliminate caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant, which increases the levels of adrenaline in the blood, the same hormone you are trying to reduce to avoid stress. This consideration is enough to convince you to eliminate caffeine forever, in favor of less stimulating hot drinks. There is no need to get your adrenaline pumping when you just sit at your desk reading your daily emails!

9. Be careful what you eat

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What you eat during the day, during a snack or on your lunch break, greatly affects your stress levels. A diet rich in Omega 3, for example a lunch of fresh tuna and avocado, will keep the levels of adrenaline and cortisol, a hormone produced during times of stress, in times of greatest anxiety and pressure, low.

One way to keep cortisol and blood pressure low is to include more vitamin C in your diet: an orange juice in the morning, or blueberries during a snack, will work for you.

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