Healthy Living

Has Your Job Taken Over Your Life?

It’s 11pm on Friday night and you’re still answering work emails from home.

You haven’t eaten dinner or showered and your spouse is already asleep. You have been ignoring calls from your friends who are out on the town, as you had hoped to be, ever since you got off work at 6pm. Your boss threw a project at you late in the day and expects it to be completed by Monday so here you are stressing to make him happy… off the clock. When you finally surrender to sleep, you toss and turn all night while dreaming of the project and the many ways it can turn into a disaster. Sound familiar? It’s easy to get slowly sucked into your job until it’s consumed most of your time and life.

Down time is important to staying productive and keeping your mind fresh.

Just as exercising too often will desensitize your body and actually stall your improvement regimen, working too many hours will have the same effect on your mind. The brain is often over looked as a part of the body that can become worn down and quite frankly, ill if not taken care of properly. Without appropriate down time, we become rewired to lose focus on our wellbeing and push ourselves a bit too far. This, of course, will lead to fatigue.

Even if you love your job, everyone needs a bit of time to unwind and give their brain a rest from the employment that we spend much of our time at. Though it’s not always easy to do, here are a few healthy and time efficient ways to remain mentally focused and regain some of that down time that you need:

 

 Go outside on your lunch break 

Even if you just pack your lunch and find somewhere quiet to sit outside for your break, it will give your brain the break it needs. The simple change in environment will brighten your mood and freshen your mind, not to mention that your main source of vitamin D comes from the sun. Vitamin D is known to improve moods and wellbeing.

 

 Read a book 

If you’re like me, you will need to erase the 5000 things you have been trying to accomplish at work in order to chill out and actually enjoy yourself. Reading is a great way to change the pace of your mind and do something you enjoy. This is especially great on lunch breaks, though I find it calms my mind before trying to sleep at night as well.

 

Exercise 

On your way home, stop at the gym for 30 minutes on the elliptical or go for a walk with your dog. After eating lunch or on your 15 minute break, walk around outside, even if it’s just in the parking lot. It will enhance your physical wellness and relax you at the same time.

 

30 Minute Chill Time 

Before you go to sleep at night, set aside 30 minutes to watch TV, read or do any other activity you enjoy. You deserve it and it will help you fall asleep faster, thus making you even more productive the following day.

 

Joe Douglas holds a B.A in Literature and currently writes for AccessRx.com, an online facilitator for Viagra online and other safe FDA-approved medications such as Cialis. Joe uses his research scientist skills to cover and uncover big pharma news he shares on the AccessRx Blog.  

 

Karla Urwitz
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