“Take Five” to Increase Productivity
Ward off stress, illness by taking at-work breaks.

By Christie C. Yerby

A few simple “Take Five” practices, which can easily be added to the workday, can help reduce stress, increase energy and stave off stress-producing illnesses.
 
Mental Breaks
Make a conscious effort to slow down for a few minutes every other hour (without becoming lax in your work). This “Take Five” mental and physical health break will help to slow your heart rate and breathing, reduce your blood pressure and benefit your nervous system and digestion.

Hydration and Nutrition
Replacing colas and coffee with pure drinking water throughout the day rehydrates skin, joints and vital organs. Bring an apple or nutrition bar to the office instead of heading for the snack machine in the mid-afternoon. Healthy foods nourish the body and keep the mind alert longer throughout the day.

Exercise and Stretching
An occasional five-minute walk, preferably outside in fresh air while taking slow deep breaths, can help energize you for the rest of the workday. Back at your desk, short stretches can loosen tension held in the body. Reaching arms to the ceiling while extending out through the fingertips can open the body’s center to allow space for optimal breathing and organ function.

Then, drop one ear to the shoulder for about 20 seconds to gently stretch the side of the neck. Repeat on the other side with relaxed shoulders and feel refreshed without leaving your chair.

Time Management and Interrelations
Managing time and situations can help you wisely avoid an enormous amount of job-induced stress.

Upfront communication with superiors if a job load is overwhelming, or clearing the air of conflict immediately with co-workers, will help you focus on the job at hand for on-time completion of priorities.

The ability to say “no” constructively when time does not permit taking on more projects is both a skill and a healthy choice worth practicing and developing. Taking “five” for recovery between projects will help prevent physical illness, mental breakdown or total burnout. Limiting minute-to-minute interruptions also helps move the day along with less stress.

It’s important to identify the causes of your stress, so you can deal with and reduce them, or even eliminate them. Deadlines, long hours, excess travel and workload, or unfriendly associates are contributing factors that need to be brought to the forefront and managed. Re-evaluate what is important; then clean your closets of commitment clutter by eliminating what is not important, which will open up some free time for yourself.

These “Take Five” practices will help reacquaint you with the quiet world that’s been awaiting your return, support your optimal health, and help you discover valuable stress-free time to spend on yourself, with your friends and your family.

Dr Christie C. Yerby, a licensed naturopathic doctor, author and health educator, is part of the team at Robin Chiropractic & Acupuncture Center…your Wellness Connection. Currently in private practice in North Carolina, she will come on board in October as Medical Director. Located in Shawnee, the center provides chiropractic care, massage therapy, acupuncture services and body movement classes. Call (913) 962-7408 for more information.