Steps to protect your personal wellbeing at work

Health and wellness at work

Promoting employee health and wellness has become an all important issue in most of the corporate world. If your company hasn’t yet seen the light; don’t despair. There are a few easy steps that you can take to protect your own health and wellbeing at work!

Try the following:

Insist on a healthy work environment

Sitting on your backside for hours on end is bad for your health and wellbeing. You are well within your rights as an employee to insist on an ergonomically designed desk and chair (work station) to help combat common work-induced physical conditions such as shoulder and back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and a host of others.

Take frequent rest breaks

Prevent back and shoulder pain and eye strain by taking frequent breaks. Just stand up and stretch or look away from the computer screen.

Take those lunch breaks outside

Psychologists in the field of eco-therapy point out that spending time outdoors can help improve depression, lower blood pressure, improve self-esteem and help with impulse control. Get your daily dose of fresh air, sunlight and vitamin D during your lunch break! If you can’t go outside, bring nature into your office with an indoor garden and as much natural light as possible.

Watch what you eat

What you eat, especially at breakfast and during your lunch break, not only affects your waistline but also your mood. Eat a healthy protein-rich breakfast and light lunch with lots of vegetables and salads to combat the dreaded afternoon slump. Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water throughout the day.

Exercise

The latest trend in creating a healthy corporate environment is by incorporating physical activity in the form of a treadmill, stationary bike or standing work stations. These ergonomically designed work stations can actually improve your physical and mental health without detracting from your ability to work or study effectively. Do, however, also hit the gym regularly or find some other form of exercise to do.

Lighten up and relax

Life is about much more than just work! If all you’re doing is working all the time and if you constantly feel mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted, you may have job burnout. Do try to attain a healthy and happy work−life balance. Stop and smell the roses, spend time with your family or start a hobby.

Be flexible

Learn to be flexible and try to adapt to changes at work gracefully. Both positive and negative change is the one element we can’t control totally. Speak up if you have to but try to accept the outcome if it turns out to be the opposite of what you hoped it would be − let it go.

Seek help when needed or in doubt

Don’t be too proud to seek help or to ask a dumb question; the latter is a lot easier to deal with than a dumb mistake! Many a disaster has been averted by someone speaking up at the appropriate time.

Stay connected

Work at connecting with your supervisor, boss and fellow co-workers. Change your work motto from “ego” to “we go” and start connecting and sharing ideas and tasks with others to jointly accomplish a common goal. This is called collaborating, which is not only a higher level of teamwork but also a more productive way of getting things done and making you feel connected to your co-workers and your company.

 

Sources

Creating healing environments with doctor Esther Sternberg. Retrieved from: http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/tips-change/creating-healing-environments-dr-esther-sternberg
What Is collaboration in the workplace: definition, benefits and examples. Retrieved from: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-collaboration-in-the-workplace-definition-benefits-examples.html
Workplace wellbeing. Retrieved from: http://www.businessballs.com/workplace-wellbeing.htm