Give it 5 minutes

"No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you'd be more productive."
Dr. Joyce Brothers

Many of us perceive autumn and the time before Christmas as especially busy and stressful. We try to work harder and longer, do not take any breaks in-between, and the only break is our lunch break which we all too often spend at the desk in front of the computer.

This way we soon will be tired, experience a lack of concentration, make more mistakes, tense up, become completely stressed out, and - worst case scenario - our mental and physical health deteriorates. We are not able to work effectively and efficiently any more - we can NOT perform par excellence.

Very often we only realise that we are overtired, exhausted, tensed and completely stressed when we finish our working day.

Well, I dare saying everyone being busy nowadays is a lucky one. We should be happy to have jobs, clients, and a load of work. However, it does not need to be stressful. As Dr. Joyce Brothers, psychologist and advice columnist, recommended it already, take a break every hour and relax. After that you will be able to continue your work refreshed and being much more productive.

At the beginning it is not easy to remember your hourly five minute break for relaxation. You could set an alarm clock to remind you; and you could also use some coloured post-it notes or sticky dots and stick them on several places where you look at regularly, e.g. on the wall above your desk, a desk drawer, fridge. Whenever you see your reminder, take a break and do one or more of the following exercises:

1. Stand up and walk around a bit. Have a glass of water.

2. Get some fresh air (open window or step outside), take a few deep breaths in through your nose into your belly and out through your mouth - it helps even better to release any tensions if you do so with a sigh while breathing out.

3. Stretch your body: Stand up, lift your arm above your head and stretch to the ceiling as much as you can, get on tiptoes and stretch even further, and then let go and relax.

4. Rotate your shoulders backwards at least ten times.

5. Rotate your head gently and slowly from one side to the other.

6. Close your eyes and rotate them ten times clockwise and ten times anticlockwise.

7. Close your eyes and imagine being at your favourite relaxation place. Go and be there with all your senses: what can you see, hear, feel, smell or even taste being there?

Taking your 5-minute break to relax once every hour you will find your days becoming more relaxed and calm and you yourself more productive. You will be able to take on whatever life throws at you.

Have you already read my monthly quotation for October and my short excursion?

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to family, friends and colleagues. This is a monthly newsletter.

Have a break, relax and create a balance in your life.

Be well,

Sibylle

sibylle Chaudhuri
coaching & training

Systemic and NLP Coach

info@sibylle-chaudhuri.co.uk

www.sibylle-chaudhuri.co.uk

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