Tip #11 of 13 Tips to A Healthier Me

Take a break!

When things are getting stressful, when your muscles are getting stiff, you are losing focus, you are getting irritated or frustrated take a break. Walk away and change your environment to clear your mind, relax your body and let yourself refocus and re-evaluate.

Often we try to push through in an effort to get things done on time and make things happen quicker. These efforts are lost though when we are in a place of stress. The best thing you can do at this point is to give yourself a break. It doesn't have to be long, even a few minutes will help.

Here are some situations when it is a good time to take a break:

1. When your mind keeps wandering away from your focus.
2. When you are getting bored with what you are doing.
3. When you are procrastinating away from your focus and goals.
4. When you are getting frustrated or irritated with what you are doing.
5. When you feel like you are chasing your tail.
6. When you are watching the clock, waiting for the end of the work day.
7. When you are snacking and grazing while you are working or in the avoidance of work.
8. When your eyes are getting sore from staring at the computer.
9. When your butt is getting numb from sitting in front of the computer.
10. When you are getting a headache and feeling tension in your neck.

Here are some ideas of ways to take a break and refresh.

1. Stand up and walk, shake your limbs out or dance; around the room, around the block, wherever you can go.
2. Stand up and stretch or do stretches in your chair every 30 minutes.
3. Take 3 deep breaths (this only takes a minute).
4. Close your eyes, rub your hands together briskly and place them over your eyes.
5. Get a cup of herbal tea to replace your snacks. Enjoy it for 5-15 minutes in silence.
6. Change your environment with a plant, fresh flower, aromatherapy, a poster, a quote, good tunes, colour or art.
7. Tell your coworkers a joke, read a joke, or call your friend and tell him/her a joke.
8. Do something that inspires you.
9. Eat a piece of fruit and a few spirulina tablets to get your energy back and your blood sugar stable. If your blood sugar is low you are more likely to react to situations.
10. If you are getting stressed while driving then crank the tunes, sing loudly and remember that you are lucky to have the freedom of a car and that you are better off late than never and there is nothing you can do about being late or the rude, bad drivers. Don't join them in their misery; create your own joy.