Mondays, Mondays… No matter how well organised you are, somehow there is always chaos and panic at the office after the weekend. Of course, the most obvious solution would be to go for a walk – there’s nothing like being out in nature to calm down and recollect your thoughts. But not all of us are lucky to have the freedom of just waving goodbye to the office in the middle of the day. If you feel like you’re already going crazy, here are a few effective tips to slow down this busy day without leaving your desk.
Change your environment. Light a beautifully scented candle, turn on your favourite music or swap your chair for a yoga ball. When you can’t just up and leave the office and let the chaos sort itself out without your involvement (one can only wish!), simply change something around you. Even one small thing. That will give you a sense of a new beginning, the one where you’re in control, you have a plan and you’re about to get tons of urgent things done.
Change the perspective. This trick never disappoints! When you can’t relax, spend a few minutes looking upwards at the sky. The feeling of being so tiny in this endless Universe helps us realise that whatever is going on around us right now is actually so unimportant and temporary. It will pass and no one will even remember it happened! So take a deep breath and think of more important stuff, like the fact that you’re in good health, your family is happy and how someone else is probably looking out of a window somewhere far away in space right now as well. Smile to that distant alien and get back to work with your newfound inner harmony.
Manage your breath. When everything seems to be falling apart, focus on your breath. Inhale deeply, exhale slowly and notice how good it feels when your lungs are filled with fresh air, how your nostrils move a little in the process, how your head becomes lighter with each breath. To regain control and feel more energised you should also practice alternate nostril breathing.
Write a list. But not the annoying to-do list for today. We’re trying to slow the day down, not remind ourselves that we’re all going to die at the office, remember? Take your time to write a list of something that’s not connected with work at all. It can be your travel bucket list, gratitude list or shopping list for the next weekend. Trust us, those 5 minutes won’t have any effect on the amount of work you’ll have done by the end of the day but will definitely have a very positive effect on your mental health.
Set boundaries. We don’t mean saying ‘no’ to everyone who comes to your desk asking for help (though it’s also not the worst idea!). We simply mean identifying priorities and not stressing out about the things you should be doing but not yet doing. Tell yourself ‘I will only reply to all those emails once I finish this contract’, or ‘I’ll spend two hours working on this presentation and won’t worry about sorting out the payments for now’.