Wellness in a work day – Nefertem Complimentary Therapies

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My dear friend Sara Marwick from Nefertem Complimentary Therapies has written a fantastic guest post for everyone working from home right now. Her aim is to improve your wellbeing and productivity throughout your workday!

I would typically start one of these daily schedules with time slots for each activity. Due to the different work sectors, I have split them up into areas of things to do in the morning, afternoon and evening. This gives more free freedom to fit the activities where they best fit. There are certain things That I would recommend only doing at certain times of the day and not others, and as I go through these, I will mention why that is.

After you wake

• Rise 15 minutes earlier than you would for a typical morning for work.
• Start your day with a warm cup of water with lemon. Your body has been without liquid on average 7/8 hours and drinking will help hydrate your body and brain. Using warm water helps to kick start your digestive system for the day, and the lemon helps with hydration and refreshing your system. For added benefit, you may want to look into supplements like Activated You Morning Complete to take around this time if you need a little boost.
• Sit down to journal for 10 minutes. This will help get your brain working as well as getting rid of any unwanted uneasiness from dreams etc. during the night. It can also get any frustrations from the day before out of your head and on to the page makes you feel lighter and brighter.
• 2 minutes stretches. Just before you go and either shower or dress for work I would recommend having a stretch. This is a great feeling as it helps to stretch out your body after you have been possibly curling up sleeping all night. We all know that feeling of relief when we stretch and maybe even hear our bones crack. It is always good to do this before you dress for the day as you will have a full range for movement and won't be restricted by clothing.
• On your way to work if you need to travel, or while you are getting ready to work from home, I would recommend listening to either some music or a podcast that you enjoy. This will set you up for a productive morning as you are paving the way with things of interest and sounds that make you feel good.

I would suggest at this time as you start your workday to only have water to drink. This again will help with hydration. I would save your coffee tea for your first break of the morning.

When it comes to breakfast, make sure you have something substantial to help with keeping you fuelled for your morning. Something like oats or some avocado on wholemeal toast is a couple of great ideas.

Work Day – Morning

• Before you sit at your workspace, take a medium-sized glass/bottle of water to your work area. Keeping a small or medium container means that you will need to move from your workspace more often to refill it. This is a straightforward idea that does work eating you away from your space.
• The first thing I would suggest doing when you sit down to start your workday is to write your plan. If today is the first day in your work week, then get a plan together for your week. If not use the same principles but just do it for the next few days.

Start this list with all the things that you are aware of at this moment that need to get done.

Then categories this list based on importance:

• To do today – priority.
• To do tomorrow – a mid priority.
• To do before the end of the week – to be done this week.
• What can be delegated – someone else can do instead.

(Following 3 points are the dash mark notes about the lists)

• Creating these lists will help you prioritise what needs to be done daily, and this allows freedom to have space in the day for things that arise through the day that need to be dealt with ASAP.
• Creating a delegate list is also helpful so that you don't feel the full burden of the workload. This helps share the responsibility with colleagues. And if you find you still have space to do extra jobs during the day you can. But you won't feel the pressure of having it on your to-do list all day.
• I always start my day with my 3 none negotiable's. These are 3 things that must be done no matter what during that day, no excuses. Only having 3 if you can, this means that it feels more manageable being a small number. Remember these have to be essential things that will progress your work or keep your business moving forward. They are not the little jobs that can wait till the end of the week to be done as they are filler jobs. These are jobs that are taking up valuable growth time!
• Every 90/120 minutes make sure that you get up and have a short walk. This could be to get another drink, talk to colleagues or even to go out for a walk in fresh air if possible. If this is the first break of your morning for work, this is the break I would suggest to have a coffee or tea if you fancy one.
• If you have a stressful situation at working that seems to be getting you down or hindering your mood. I would suggest taking a walk if you can/stretch your body/ or take 5/10minutes to journal to get the feeling on the page and out of your head. This should help with giving you a fresh feeling to carry on your day.
• Before you start any new work tasks, move out of your brain and into your body and move again. This will take you into the present to avoid you feeling like your day has skimmed you by.

Work Day Lunch/ Afternoon

Even during your afternoon, make sure that you are moving quite frequently away from your space.

• Lunchtime. Make sure you avoid sugary snacks. The probably while having sugary food while working is that we peak, most of the time without realising and then we crash even harder. Have you ever felt a hard afternoon slump? Is it possible you eat sugary foods? Stick with wholegrain foods. This will fill you up and keep you going for longer. ( also a side note about eating sugary foods, especially if you have a sedentary job, you are more likely to see more weight gain. Sugar is fuel to keep the body going and moving for prolonged periods. If you eat these foods but don't use the energy that comes with them. Naturally, your body stores them. And they are stored as fat. This is something to bear in mind when making or buying anything for lunch.)
• Also at this time onwards, this is when it is best to stick with water to drink or herbal teas. This again will help avoid a caffeine spike and then drop after. You are also more likely to sleep better if you stop drink caffeine at lunchtime instead over later in the day.
• One main point, try to leave work on time. Make sure you have a note of what hasn't been done so that you don't need to think about it at home as it will be on your desk in the morning. If you do need to stay back a little longer. Decide on a length of time so that you are counting down to it instead of counting up from the time you would usually have finished.

During your workday, any time.

• Struggling to focus? Do a mini-meditation break. This could be by your desk if you can leave. Preferably outside or by an open window is better to feel and smell the fresh air.
• Feeling a little stressed out? Make sure you keep an aromatherapy rollerball in your bag to apply when needed to help lift your spirits.
• Having a bad day? Plan something that evening that you can do for yourself or with others that make you happy. This can be as simple as having a nice relaxing bath, which you can stop a shop on your way home to pick up some lovely relaxing bath salts. Taking your mind away from how your feeling now to how you will feel later when you are doing something that you will enjoy, will help to reshape your mindset for the rest of the day because you have something to look forward too.
• Are you about to have a work meeting that may overrun lunch or may last an extended period? Makes sure that you take some water into the setting and if possible a handful of almonds. I know this sounds odd, but I will explain. Have you ever been at in a meeting that feels like it is going to overrun and it will occupy your lunch, and you haven't eaten? When you start to realise how hungry you are, that is when the only thing you can now think about it your stomach. It starts to rumble and now you can't concentrate. Taking something small like almonds will not fill you, but it can tide you over to help with focusing on what's happening around you. I stead of wanting to say just about anything to get the meeting to end so that you can go and eat. Drinking water will also help with your focus and hydration levels as some meeting rooms can get stuffy, and have you ever started to feel tired after drinking caffeine? Imagine that during a meeting while you are hungry and you are supposed to be paying attention to a critical discussion.

After work/ on your way home

This is a perfect time to reflect on the good things that have happened in your day. And how you are about to stop to get somethings for your lovely bath that you will have this evening. Just before you get home to decide on 2 things that you will do just for your self this evening. This can involve others if you wish. It could be something like:

• I will read for 15 minutes in peace/finish a chapter or my book
• Have a bath/hair treatment
• Cook something nice for dinner
• Talk to friends and family
• Meditate.

It can be just about anything that you choose. One thing to do is just before you open the front door/ see family or friends as you get home from work. Remember they are looking forward to seeing you and for you all to talk about your day. Try not to get agitated that people are at your feet the second that you see them. These people love you and remember you left work at work with your to-do list, and you don't need to think about it until tomorrow.

Evening

Once you get home or when you step away from work, it is always a great idea to relax a little to unwind before you start making your dinner or before you do any other plans. This helps your body slow down and get into more of a relaxation mode. This is when I usually plan what I would like to make for dinner or catch up with my partner. Make sure you eat at least 2 hours before going to bed so that you have some time to digest your food.

• Make sure you choose something tasty and light for dinner. Having something light will ensure that your body doesn't need to work too hard to digest. This will also mean that you are more likely to have a restful nights sleep.
• If you choose to watch a film or series, be very mindful of the subject matter. The reason for this is the things you watch can play on your subconscious. Its is very important to keep up today with current news but watching too many stories can play on your mind and determine your mood. Being careful of what you watch means that you are more in control of how you can feel.
• Turn off screens and technology at least an hour before bed. Watching screens in the evening or before going to sleep affects the production of the hormone melatonin, which is the hormone that controls your sleep and getting to sleep. Reducing melatonin makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. So making sure that you switch things off at an appropriate time means you are more likely to have a better sleep.

Before bed

Just before bed, it is excellent to use this time to do some reading and skincare routines.

• Just before bed is a great time to practise mindfulness. This is the practice of being completely present. It is the presence of the heart. This is a practise where you pay attention to the smallest things that you are doing and how things feel to you.
• When reading its an excellent idea to also choose a book that isn't too overstimulating. If you choose something that is too stimulating, it will keep your brain very active, which will be an issue trying to then fall asleep. I usually select something quite light a topic, so it is easier to put the book down after a few pages or a chapter.
• Getting an early night is always a great idea. Every person is different but in general, between 7/9 hours is about the average. Getting to bed early will also help when you are getting up that little bit earlier.
• I like to spray a sleep spray on my pillow just before I get into bed. This aid to rest my mind as I drift off to sleep.

This post was brought to you by Sara Marwick from Nefertem Complimentary Therapies. Click here to check out her website and blog!

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