“Being self-employed is so great! I can stay at home and work in my pj’s all day. In fact, today I have been
working since 5:00 a.m. It is 7:30 p.m. now and I am not done. And I am still in pj’s. It’s really great.” LOL -
This was my Facebook post a couple of years ago and truth be told, I have been working from home for over 18
years. What is more, with the recent “Stay at Home” quarantine orders in my state and across the world, you
too might be working from home. At first it seems like a great idea, right? You can spend more time with your
family, throw in a load of laundry, have schedule flexibility, and avoid workplace drama and distractions. Oh,
and you’ll spend less money on childcare, commuting, clothes, coffee and lunches. Plus, dinner savings! You
will be home to actually do some quality meal prep and healthy cooking. Turns out working from home does
give me more schedule flexibility – and with that flexibility comes some grandiose ideas of what I can really
accomplish in a day. So, I have found it’s crucial to incorporate regular Relax & Recharge moments throughout
the day to keep my workload expectations in check. I also find that including those moments to revitalize and
refocus result in an increase in my productivity - It’s a win/win 😊 .
Here are some easy to execute Health Break ideas:
"Relax & Recharge"
1.
Start the day with a 10-minute Morning Meditation. If I am doing a chakra meditation and focusing
on unblocking energy in a specific chakra, I will also bring that color into my day to maintain connection
to my morning intentions. Since I make and have access to oodles of lavender scented stress balls, I like
to keep the chakra color of my day active by having a stress ball of a matching color handy and ready to squeeze.
2.
Yes, do a load of Laundry! But when it’s time to rotate the laundry from the washer to the dryer, put a few
drops of your favorite essential oil onto a washcloth and throw it in with the clean clothes or linens. Come
back an hour later, open the dryer and inhale a fragrant burst of your favorite scent.
3.
Throw the Ball! Whether it is throwing the ball with my dog, Hazel, or another ball game with my family,
getting outside to give us all a breath of fresh air is a fantastic reset button. My daughter likes dodge ball,
my son loves basketball and my husband chooses playing catch with the football. Or, if you are home alone,
bouncing on a yoga ball or playing wall-ball are great options, too. Whatever your preference, a short break
to toss around a ball can help clear your mind and release some of the kinks from sitting too long.
4.
Get Outside and soak in some vitamin D. Take a walk through your yard or garden and eat some fresh berries
along the way. If you have flowers or herbs growing in a garden, cut a scented herb or floral bouquet to bring
back inside to your workspace. Even if you are not having a sunny day, spending a few minutes to listen to the
rain or focusing on the faint sounds of windchimes can also be very soothing.
5.
Take a Warm Bath. Sometimes I delve right into work first thing in the morning. Once I have prioritized and dealt
with any pressing issues, late morning can be a wonderful time for a relaxing bath to encourage calm energy back
into my day. I love, love, love LUSH bath bombs, but I also love making my own. It only takes a few minutes and the
simple process can be a fun opportunity to spend a little time with your family. Below is one of my favorite moisturizing,
fizzy bath bomb recipes.
1 cup Baking Soda
½ cup Citric Acid
½ Epsom Salt
½ cup Corn Starch
1 tsp Water or Glycerin
2 full droppers of Essential Oil
2 tsp Coconut Oil
1. Mix 4 dry ingredients together crushing any large clumps.
2. Melt coconut oil and mix 3 wet ingredients together. (If you want to add food coloring, now is the time.)
3. Combine dry and wet ingredients. With your hands, shape into balls. Let dry for 24 hours to harden.
6.
Making time for a nourishing Lunch is essential. How about picnic style? For some reason, lunch tastes so much
more delicious when you eat it outside. When you’re working from home, grab a blanket and find a sunny place
to relax or maybe a shady patch under a tree and enjoy a solid 30-minute lunch break. This is another great chance
to share a relaxing moment and check in with your family.
7.
Seems that whether I am creating product, designing labels, packaging orders, buying supplies, or catching up on
accounting, I often find myself looking downward. After being in this position for hours, deep into the afternoon
my neck is usually annoyed. But this is also a perfect time of day to get up and stretch. If after a good 10-minutes
of stretching I’m still not feeling rejuvenated, then I take that as a cue that my body needs a little rest. A wonderful
method to release neck and shoulder tension is to warm-up a neck wrap, lay on it and take a quick Power Nap while
the heat works its magic. I have lovely, velour covered wraps available on the website, but I also like this fast and easy
idea to make one yourself - without any sewing! Using one knee -high sock, fill it with approximately 1 ½ pounds of
flax seeds or rice. I mix lavender into flaxseed for a heavenly scent, but you could use any of your favorite herbs like
peppermint, rosemary or even a fragrant spice like cinnamon chips. Tie the open end of the sock and slip the filled
sock into another knee-high sock. Like a pillowcase covering a pillow, this will allow you to remove the cover for washing.
8.
Another one of my favorite options for addressing low energy and body stiffness is to get up and Dance. Dance is a
great activity to improve flexibility and heart health. In addition, when work is causing tension, dancing is ideal because
it reduces stress, increases energy and boosts memory! Ten minutes of movement to your favorite music can really
improve your mood and reconnect your mind and body. I admit, personally I can’t work to music because I will get
distracted and dance the day away. But, at the right time, forgetting your work and allowing the energy to flow freely
can really help inspire and refocus your thinking.
9.
Lastly, reaching for sugar and/or caffeine in the afternoon is a common band-aid for low energy. But since drinking
caffeine after 2:00 usually makes it harder for me to sleep and a sugar crash seems to defeat the purpose, my latest
go-to is a cold bottle of Kombucha. My favorite home-brew so far is huckleberry/rosemary and the next batch in the
works is blueberry/thyme. “Brew Dr.” and “Humm” have some fantastic flavor blends as well, like Crisp Apple and
Lime Coconut. Because the sugar content is quite low in kombucha, most varieties are only 50-70 calories per bottle.
It is worth a quick label read though because some mainstream brands have high caffeine and sugar content. Once
you find YOUR favorite, reaching for a refreshing bottle of kombucha can be just the afternoon treat to help get you
through your last hours of work.
