Healthy living is on the rise.
Young and old alike are exercising more, eating healthy alternatives and avoiding binge drinking and eating.
However, our new health-conscious lifestyles are often not compatible with our workplace patterns: sitting at a desk for hours on end, eating quickly (if at all), surrounding ourselves with mess, being enveloped by grey and, dare I say it, colleagues that don’t quite encourage a positive mindset.
So, how do we replicate our health-focused lifestyles within the workplace
Think Green
Imagine working a 9-5 job in an office block, similar to dozens of others on the same road.
The inside is typically grey. Management has passionately embraced open-plan working; the walls are neutral tones, the ceilings are neutral tones, and the pattern of work is deafeningly neutral. It is an environment that is not strictly negative but is not positive either.
The first step is to create an environment that promotes positivity, calmness and productivity. Plants are the answer!
Plants, you may think, are a classic corporate strategy to superficially enhance work environments. However, studies (see this 2011 study by the University of Technology in Sydney) identified reductions of 37% in anxiety, 58% in depressive symptoms, 38% in fatigue and 44% in hostility in the workplace due to plants.
Put simply; plants help reduce the negative emotions we feel in our workplaces. This reduction in negative emotions correlates with an increase in productivity.
A 2014 study by the University of Exeter found that productivity increased by up to 15% when one plant was added per square metre of office space. Dr Chris Knight argues that plants assist in our memory retention. He further says that seeing a plant from our desks allows for greater psychological engagement with our environment and work.
Stand Up and Be Tidy!
We’ve talked about the broader office environment; now let’s talk about our specific workspaces – our desks, cubicles, offices or wherever you find yourself working.
We are all aware of the common saying that a tidy space results in a tidy mind, and it is a well-known saying because it is pretty much true!
Like plants, a neat environment can help declutter our brains and promote a greater degree of focus. This leads to an increase in work satisfaction as well as us becoming more productive.
For those who work at desks – do your best to stand up while you work. A standing desk is an easy way to get this sorted. It improves our personal health as well as our professional output.
Employing this type of desk at the workplace allows you to stand and move around, helping to improve digestion and calorie burning. Sitting down has the opposite effect and can increase weight gain around the stomach. A standing position also improves blood circulation, increases energy levels and improves your ability to focus for long periods.
A standing desk, like those offered by Flexispot, allows you to use a standing position, thus improving posture and significantly reducing back and neck pain. Moreover, it improves our wrist positioning when typing. Wrist pain or carpal tunnel is an increasingly common health hazard associated with sitting desk-based workers, so this is an additional benefit which cannot be ignored.
Balance Work and Life
A healthy work environment can still not overcome the emotions that we might carry into it. To improve how we feel at work, we must improve how we feel when we get to work.
The key to this is simple – we need to have spare time often and use that spare time well. Working less might seem like a silly thing to say as it is simply not an option for the majority of us. However, something we are all guilty of is bringing our work home with us.
To have a healthy work/life balance, we must switch off once we leave work. No phones, no emails and no worrying or thinking about the next day.
Do what you love to do! Many of us spend our spare time sitting on the sofa, eating and drinking. However, making the most of this time and doing activities that spark joy is vital. Your body and mind need to recuperate from the constant battering they have received at work, and you have to feel relaxed and at peace. Simply sitting around won’t get the job done. Make sure you do things that actively relax your brain: meditation, exercise and even cooking are a couple of great options.
Exercise Your Mind, Not Just Your Body
Consciousness of our mental health has skyrocketed in the past few decades, and this has opened up an abundance of material about promoting a healthy mindset.
A straightforward technique we can all use is to stop, pause and reflect. Jumping up in the morning and rushing off to work, and doing the same in reverse in the evening leaves us no time to reflect and talk to ourselves.
Processing our emotions, fears and anxieties, and the things we’re excited about for the day are vital for promoting good mental health practices.
Taking the time to assess the day ahead helps us prepare for challenges we might face. Do the same when you finish your day by reflecting on what has happened and congratulate yourself on what you’ve achieved.
Be Supported
An increase in consciousness surrounding mental health issues has often resulted in the creation of employee support systems. Make use of them!
Most employers offer professional support schemes, wellness days and retreats that give their workers access to mental health professionals, which can be pretty expensive to the average worker.
If your workplace does not offer these options, push for them! Unite with your colleagues to ask for a system in place.
Lastly, lean on your colleagues and your friends. Work has become a human phenomenon.
We all work. We all possess workplace anxieties and fears.
Therefore, we are all capable of empathy toward workplace challenges.
A burden shared is a burden halved.
Final Thoughts
The options highlighted above are only 5 of the many ways you might be able to improve your workplace health.
I know - working is an essential part of our lives. But at a minimum, be conscious of your health. After all, we work to live rather than live to work!
