Giggle wiggles

It would be hard to find a better stress reliever than laughter. You can feel stress lifting right away when you laugh really hard. In fact, Laughing Yoga is spreading rapidly these days as an effective stress reducer.

But in case you haven't found the laughing yoga class nearest you (or don't have time for yoga because you're too stressed out) here is something to get you started laughing on your own. Have a great weekend!

Sitting Up

I have been actively grateful this week and it's been wonderful. There are so many things to be happy about!

One thing I am happy about today is that it's Tuesday! Less Stress in the Office Day! Yeehaw.

Today's office stress reducer is posture. What is your posture like right this second as you're reading this post? Are you slumped? Well stop! Sit up straight. That's better.

Poor posture leads to poor breathing. Your lungs get all smushed up and the volume of air you breathe in is less. And making full use of your lungs is important to feeling good. When you sit up straight you can make full use of your lungs. And, as you already know, breathing properly is one of the most important things you can do to reduce stress.

In addition to helping you breathe, good posture can help your state of mind. When you sit up straight - head up, shoulders back (or, as the theater folks put it, "Ass under! Tits out!") you look and feel better.

So I know that sometimes it feels tiring to sit up straight. But that's because we don't do it enough. So try and be conscious of your posture. You're back will feel better. You will look better. And your body will get all the air it is supposed to be getting.

If you really have trouble and are in the market for a new desk chair I know a couple of people who swear by this. They aren't expensive so why not give it a try. I have one at home that I am going to bring into the office. I will report back in a couple weeks.

Desserts....

is stressed spelled backwards. Some people might say that this means nothing, but I thought it was important to throw it out there.

Things to be thankful for

I haven't been writing much over that past few days due to travel and thanksgiving and general hecticness but I did want to briefly chime in for a thanksgiving-related note.

I know I have already touched on how important I think it is to say thank you, but being thankful is slightly different, and it deserves attention.

So that's the tip. Be grateful for all the good things in your life. Sometimes you might have to remind yourself. So do! Gratitude reduces stress.

Gratitude is something that has been recognized as an important aspect of health, wellness, and overall wellbeing by many knowledgeable people. Including Buddha. Seriously. And who's going to argue with Buddha? If Buddha doesn't do it for you, scientific research has also shown the importance of gratitude. One study concluded that "grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress."

Today I am feeling grateful for family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving.

CrazyTown

This week my office has been a little something I like to call CrazyTown. Things are nuts here. Things got shaken up unexpectedly and now people are all over the place. Emotionally. Not physically. Anyway, people are angry, worried, stressed, unmotivated - wow, when I put it like that it sounds really bad. But the point is, it's a stressful environment.

So what to do about it. There are a couple things you can do but today's tip focuses on just one. And that is to let it go when you get home.

If you want to talk about it a little and get it off your chest, of course, do that. That can help too. But don't dwell. Don't let work stress invade your home life. Let home be a placec where you can feel relaxed. When you're done doing what you need to do for work focus on something completely unrelated. Exercise. Make a delicious dinner. Meditate. Read a book. Even watch TV (I am pretty convinced TV is bad for your soul but maybe that's just my personal issue of liking it a little too much which is neither here nor there). Anything that can let you escape. Then get a good night's sleep and you can go back to your own personal CrazyTown with a refreshed and positive attitude, and maybe even a new perspective on how to make things less crazy.

Tuesday!

Happy Less Stress in the Office Day!
Today's tip is an easy one. It may seem obvious but people don't always stick to it.

Be nice to everyone in your office. Don't be fake, just be pleasant. Smile and say hi to people and ask how they are doing. It's so easy and it can have lasting effects. Just trust me on this one. Pleasant offices are less stressful.

This video has nothing to do with being nice, it just makes me smile.

3 Things to do in Traffic Jams

Recently traffic has been coming up in conversation a lot in my life. Apparently it causes people a fair amount of stress. Understandable. But the thing about traffic is there's nothing you can do about it. So why let it drive you nuts. Yesterday I was in the car in traffic with my sister and she was just as relaxed as can be. And it was lovely! So today's list is things you can do to prevent traffic from stressing you out.

1. Leave early. Anticipate the traffic if its rush hour traffic that you know for a fact will be there. If you plan to be sitting in traffic you wont be stressing about how late it is making you.

2. If you are with someone else in the car, talk about happy things. When Pete and I get stuck in traffic we talk about how the traffic compares to other traffic, and whether it's any good. If its really bumper to bumper its pretty much the best traffic ever. Its totally dorky but it makes us laugh and forget to be annoyed. Alternatively, you can list wonderful things. For example, hammocks, foot rubs, puppies, etc. Really whatever floats your boat.

3. If you're alone then breathe! Focus on doing diaphragmatic breathing - this means when you inhale your belly expands and when you exhale your belly contracts. Breathe in for a count of 3 and feel your belly fill with air. Then breathe out for a count of five and feel your belly deflate. Not only is this sort of breathing good to help calm you down, focusing on the breathing and the counting will get your mind off of the traffic and onto relaxation!

So go! sit in traffic! Enjoy!

Public Service Announcement

Chronic Stress can lead to a weakened immune system. That's one of the reasons you may find you tend to get sick right after a couple of super busy stressful weeks has gone by. Of course, I am a proponent of protecting yourself from stress, but here is something else we all can do. Big high five to Amanda for finding this...

Organization day!

It's Tuesday! So, as usual, today's post has to do with creating a stress-free office life. If you're an exceptionally neat and organized person, I should warn you that this does not apply to you.

The other day I worked at my coworker's desk because he was out of the office for the day and I was doing a project with his office-mate. Once we had finished I stayed there and continued working. I had a million things to do, and somehow working at his super clean and organized desk made everything seem a little more manageable. Needless to say, my desk is generally not super clean and organized (that's a picture of it - in my brain everything is extremely organized, it just doesn't translate to the desk, sadly). I like to have all the different things I am working on out and in front of me. but if I am working on 5 different projects, things can get a little cluttered. I am also not to good at throwing things away. But my experience at Evan's desk made me realize that cleaning it up from time to time could make life seem more manageable.

So... today's office tip is to clean up! Take 10 minutes and clear your desk. File things. Throw things away. Maybe even wipe down the surface with some Formula 409.

Don't get me wrong, you'll mess it up again tomorrow (and by you will I mean I will), but if you give yourself this organization time once a week the million things you have going on at work will not feel quite stressful and out of control.

Here is the after picture of my desk. I have already given myself a pat on the back.

Naps Make You Smarter

I am going to take a nap today. I think everyone should. Naps have been shown to improve your memory. That might make you less stressed because you won't have to worry about being forgetful. The other thing about naps is they let you relax a little in the middle of the day. And memory or not that is sure to help with stress. And before you start saying you don't have time to take a nap, let me just tell you that naps increase productivity too!
So let's all do it. It'll be awesome.
Have a wonderful weekend!