Lifestyle tips for office employees

If you think heavy workload at office, unending work at home, and crazy traffic (not necessarily in that order) are taking a toll of your health, relax! How about squeezing in these lifestyle tips into your daily grind.

1. Always take mini-breaks
Leonardo da Vinci is believed to have taken little power naps now and then during the course of his punishing daily schedule. Each little nap rejuvenated him.  You could take a leaf from Da Vinci’s book and take little power naps during your work days. It could be as simple as closing your eyes for 5 minutes 4 times a day. As an alternative you could also take a small walk or have a cup of tea at the cafeteria.

 

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Caveat: Watch out! Power naps could get you in serious trouble in some offices.

2. Do not stare at the screen for too long
Sitting glued to your chair and staring at the screen for hours together could affect your eyesight and lead to backache.  Utilise your mini-breaks to break away from the monotony of having to stare at your screen for too long. Now and then, rinse your eyes with water.

 

 

3. Try taking the stairs as far as possible
For those of you who hardly find the time to exercise, this could be a teeny-weeny workout. Taking the stairs or better still racing up the stairs instead of taking the lift revs you up. This is especially true if you are feeling sleepy.

 

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4.  Become a chair exercise junkie
Avoid the possibility of getting a backache. Indulge in chair exercises. Look up the Internet and become a chair exercise junkie. At any cost, avoid a bad posture when working.

 

 

5. Indulge in small ‘laughathons’
If you are feeling low and down in the dumps, try jogging your memory back and soak into some memorable events in your life. Or else have a joke book handy at your workstation. You could even paste great jokes or quotes on your pin-up board. Laugh out your stress.

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6. Never skip lunch
Never skip lunch or go hungry for long periods. Unknown to you, you could be opening up a Pandora’s box.  You must have all heard “Health is Wealth”.

 

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7. Wear comfortable clothes
The more comfortable your clothes the more comfortable will you be at work. Tight clothes which are tearing at their seams will hinder your concentration and bring down your performance.  Tight or ill-fitting clothes are also a health hazard.

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8. Be happy
Begin your day on a happy note and remain happy throughout the day. Negative thoughts are a no-no. Spank them out of your mind in whatever way you can. Negative thoughts only land up ruining your day.

 

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9. Ensure your workstation is well-lit
A badly lit workplace will in all probability hurt your eyes. Ensure that sufficient light is falling on your table from behind you. Avoid working in darkness.

 

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10. Ensure the A/c is not too strong
If your workplace has become an Antarctica watch out! You are neither a penguin nor a polar bear and your colleagues aren’t too. Either cover yourself in layers of clothing like an Eskimo or collectively take up the issue with the concerned department.

 

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A tryst with spirituality

Last Friday I was at the Bangalore Literature Festival 2013 and had the great fortune to listen to a talk on ‘Writing on Spirituality’ by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Though I am not spiritually inclined, this brief lecture by the revered guru had me enthralled. I must say I was to a certain degree enlightened. It was a bright sunny day and this made my experience all the more memorable. In between clicking pictures, I managed to jot down some gems from his speech and the Q&A session that followed:

Quotes:

“Literature and spirituality have a long connection.”

“Words feel very inadequate to express a deep sense of vastness and authenticity one feels in meditation”.

“Love cannot be defined or explained nor can it be hidden from its expression”.

“Breath and mind are closely related”.

“Hold on to dreams, one day they will come true”.

“To keep our mind sane, we need to have passion, compassion and dispassion in equal degree. Passion alone, or compassion alone or dispassion alone will cause a nervous breakdown”.

“Literature plays an important role in instilling common sense in people. It can also prejudice people. Prejudice should be done away with. An open-minded approach is what is required”.

Q&A:

Q. How many languages do you know?
A. I only know one language – the language of love.

Q. What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?
A. Knowledge is up in your head, wisdom comes from experience. Knowledge is like reading a menu card, wisdom comes after tasting an item(s) from the card.

Q. What is the difference between worry and tension?
A. (Laughs) I have no idea. I have not experienced any of these.

The man then adds:
Q. It is said that a man gets worried when his wife gets pregnant, and gets tensed when his girlfriend gets pregnant ..
A. (Laughs again and the audience joins the laugh riot) See you know the answer yourself!!!

Q. Is spirituality only for the rich?
A. No. Spirituality is for everyone. Our space is made of moods like creativity, peace, sadness, happiness, anger, etc. Spirituality is attending to these moods. Everybody on planet Earth has spirituality in them. Everyone consciously or unknowingly instills spirituality. You don’t have to wear a dhoti or kurta to be called spiritual.

Q. What are your favourite books?
A. I read very little. I read people and I read myself. I have the capacity to admire anybody.

Word of advice:

Guruji recommends relaxation to those who have got a writer’s block: “When you relax, a channel of energy opens in you. The writer’s block vanishes. Few minutes of silence helps us to express ourselves much better.”

Joy in giving:

There is a joy in giving. Authors are content that they give something to society – their writing.