5 easy ways to incorporate wellbeing into even the busiest of schedules
In this article we suggest five easy and creative ways to incorporate well-being into a busy working life.
Working on our wellbeing can help to prevent stress and create positive working environments. This is arguably even more important during a pandemic as naturally at this time, people’s mental health suffers as people live with an unprecedented level of uncertainty and stress. Of course, busy diaries don’t help and they are often listed as an excuse for not fitting in any self-care.
The problem is if you work all day going from one online meeting to the next without ever leaving your desk to then going straight into all the demands that home life brings you aren’t getting any respite, and that isn’t good for anyone. At least in the office you get to walk between meeting rooms and switch off on the commute home.
So how can you incorporate some wellbeing exercises into even the busiest of schedules? Here are 5 suggestions, most of which can be done in just 10 minutes, yes really just 10 minutes. So now there really is no excuse, is there?
1. Give someone a compliment
Small acts of kindness don’t just benefit the receiver. Research has shown that the giver also benefits as they experience a ‘helpers high’. Being kind is shown to give people a sense that what they do and say matters. Something as small and un-time consuming as giving a compliment can lead to a boost in our positive emotions. But, you need to put in a little effort; just saying someone's dress is nice won’t really cut it.
Instead have a think about how you can make your compliment sincere and authentic and make it specific to the person. So if for example someone did a great presentation, don’t just say “that was a great presentation”. Instead you could perhaps make it more specific and sincere by saying “I thought it was great that you presented the statistics so clearly in your presentation, it really made the case for changing our processes clear. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain the business case to us all”.
2. Express gratitude and focus on what you have
The problem with modern society is that we are all so busy that we often don’t notice the little everyday things which make us happy. That quick post meeting coffee catch-up with a colleague, when your child has a breakthrough in homeschooling, when your partner makes you a nice meal for dinner. Gratitude reduces toxic emotions and instead encourages positivity and wellbeing. By focusing on what we do have rather than on what we do not have, leads to a greater sense of
Start practicing gratitude by starting each day by thinking of just three things you are grateful for. Then in the evening before you go to bed think of three things which happened in the day that you are grateful for and spend a moment thinking about why it made you feel good. It really doesn’t matter how small it was. If it helps you could write them down in a gratitude journal and then at the end of the week look back over it and remind yourself of everything you have to be grateful for.
3. Practice mindful meditation
There is evidence that shows that meditation can have a positive impact on our mental state. It is even said to create new neural pathways in the brain to help us with learning new things and with decision making. Some people are put off from meditation as they think it needs a lot of dedication and concentration. But really all it takes is a couple of minutes to pause and be in the present to reap the benefits.
Just take two minutes to sit somewhere comfortable and close your eyes as you count and focus on your breaths, breathing in and out from your nose. If your mind wanders don’t worry just bring it back to the breath. I personally find the Headspace App good for guided meditation and you can choose the length of time to meditate starting from just a couple of minutes. Of course there are others such as the Mindfulness App and the My Life Meditation Apps to try amongst others too.
4. Get a daily dose of fresh air
If you spend all day cooped up at your desk you’re more likely to end up feeling sluggish. When we feel sluggish we all too often reach for a cup of coffee but a much better way to increase our energy levels is to head outdoors. The outdoors has higher levels of oxygen than indoor air and as your lungs take in more fresh air the oxygen levels in your blood go up. Higher oxygen levels mean more of it circulates to your brain which in turn helps your energy and concentration levels. It is no surprise then that after spending time outside you come back in feeling brighter and more ready to get back into work.
If you don’t have time to break for full on walk, take a leaf out of the late Sir Captain Tom’s book and do a lap of the garden or just head outside your door, stop for a minute or two and take in some deep breaths before heading back to your desk.
5. Savouring and reminiscing
Similar to the process of gratitude, savouring the moment is equally as important. Adaptation theory suggests that we quickly get used to things and stop savouring them. That explains why we quickly get used to having a new car or that the first bite of a chocolate bar always tastes the best. We are also so adept at multitasking and fitting so much in that we forget to savour the moment we are in. This is a shame as the ability to savour the present is linked to higher self esteem and the ability to savour the past is linked to reducing stress. But the good news is we can improve our ability to savour the moment with practice.
So just take a moment to check in when you are doing something you enjoy. Take a deep breath, stop and engage all your senses to savour the moment. Turn off your email as you enjoy your afternoon cup of coffee, open the window and take a minute to listen out for bird song or for the sound of rain pitter pattering, light a fragranced candle to mark the end of the working day or relish in the comfort of your cosy robe as you’re about to settle down for the night.
Reminiscing is also a way of savouring as we focus and relive past memories in the present. Whilst I am not an advocate of endless scrolling, as so many of us take photos on our phone, I do recommend scrolling through past photos to remind yourself of some positive times. My phone has a memories feature on them which uploads a new mini video every day which I love to watch to remind me of holidays and days out. Of course if you have time you could make it into an annual practice to create photo books of each year and look over these again when you have a minute to spare.
Follow us on Instagram for more tips on how to focus on your wellbeing.
Sign up here to find out more.
Written by Helen Sandford-Taylor
Co-Founder of Nonpareil Network
Helen is an Executive Coach and Strategy Consultant. She runs her own consultancy, helping organisations and businesses develop strategies to differentiate themselves and grow successfully. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management.
