Wouldn’t it be Nice . . .

Published July 16, 2009 | By Valerie

If you could do anything you wanted to do today? Maybe read a good book, catch up on interesting information still in your “read later” file, cook, grab a game of golf, visit a friend or make personal calls just to say hello. Who’s got time to do that? Not me. Or do you?

Just for grins, I looked at my calendar recently and saw how few times I had done personal “for me” things this past year. Oh, there were lots in things scheduled that was doing for others and that made me smile. But my body and mind had not been refreshed and I was sensing the stress.

So last week I took an extra hour at lunch one day (granted, I own my business and can do that) and went to the mall just to look around. Yes…just to look around. I learned this from my daughter who window shopped for a break from a heavy exam week in college). I didn’t need anything, but thought it would be nice to simply check out the trends. (Believe me when I tell you I wasn’t even tempted!)

Well, it was, in fact, a refresher. In fact, I admitted my get away to my husband and on his day off, he decided to tinker in his workshop area instead of typically using the day to run errands. He, too, admitted it was a nice feeling to just do what he wanted to do.

So what’s the point? It’s simply to remind you that perhaps time passes without those refreshment hours that physically and mentally renew your human need for relaxation and mindless activity. Just in case you can’t take a block of time for refreshment, here’s a few tips anyone can do while at work.

Listen to quiet music or your favorite song
Take a walk outside if possible – but take a walk!
Close the door or put your head down on the desk, close your eyes and remember a wonderful memory. Relive that memory for a few minutes. One client said he has a toy train on his shelf from a memory of he and his dad playing with a train set as a child. When he needs to de-stress, he focuses on that little toy train and is flooded with joyous memories from his childhood. I take time to look at family pictures on my desk and can’t help but smile thinking of memories. And those times when I’ve had a difficult day feeling like I’ve not accomplished what I intended, it helps to reflect on successes shown visually by plaques on the wall denoting those times I’ve over delivered and been recognized for that.
Stretch – here’s an easy one. At a door frame put your arm up 90 degrees and turn your body in the opposite direction. This relieves tension that is bound to happen if you’ve been sitting at a computer for any long period of time.
Last – but not least – never eat at your desk. You may be overeating without realizing it. Extra pounds only add to the stress dilemma.