The body and mind get exhausted after long hours of work. However, quite often, early resumption of an unfinished task, after taking a little rest, becomes highly critical.
To find relief from fatigue arising due to long work sessions in office is a basic need of everybody. Also those students who study for long hours preparing for an upcoming exam keenly want to know methods for rebooting their brain and physical energy without wasting much time. Fortunately psychologists and experts of mental health sciences have suggested various methods which have proved to be immensely beneficial. Body system get refreshed quickly and you can recommence work with ease following these suggestions. In this article, we will learn some of these.
Take a break
After tackling heaps of tasks and piles of work distractions in shape of breaks help you to regain focus and energy for continuation and successful culmination of the job. The scientific studies have proved that breaks are focus boosters.
Why do we really need breaks after long working sessions? The main cause of it is to have our energy renewed. Brain constantly uses energy in form of glucose and oxygen during the mental work. During the work, we need to maintain our focus to our best. In doing so, brain utilizes a huge amount of energy, leaving our body and mind drained out. During the break, the most beneficial thing to do is walking. It helps to provide fresh oxygen and regulates blood flow to body parts. If you have some green grassy tract in your house or workplace, it will give you most energy in least time.
Go to a different environment
Working for too long takes toll on body and mind. One starts loosing concentration and eyes feel tired due to constantly staring the books, files or computer screen. A very quick way to regain your focus on work is to simply change the surroundings. One should either open the window for getting fresh air or should simply move out to an outside lawn or a nearby resting room for listening music or watching TV for a short while.
If you are too busy and can’t afford to leave your workplace, a simple technique is to see outside window and focus on an object, building, tower or birds in the sky. Staring a distant object constantly for 5 to 10 minutes gives a soothing effect to your tired eyes and fatigued mind. It prepares to rebuild your focus again on the piece of work you were previously engaged in.
Do some mild exercises
If there is a lawn in your office, move out there and start some mild exercises. You can take deep breaths slowly for 10 to 15 minutes or stretch your shoulders and legs without exerting too much pressure on yourself. Many corporate offices now allot gym areas for their employees where they can do workouts.
Swimming and aerobic exercises prove very helpful in lowering down stress level, increasing focus and self-confidence. So enjoy these facilities if available at your workplace.
Hydrate Yourself
Brain requires sufficient quantities of fluids to keep functioning in a smooth and un-interrupted way. Many of us do not understand the value of drinking water, while at work. Brain requires continuous take up of water in order to perform at optimum rate. So, when you have studied for too long or have remained glued to files or laptop screen for many hours, you definitely need a break with a large glass of water or fresh lemon juice. Staying hydrated is a sure way to prevent your concentration getting deviated from work.
An over exhausted office employee or fatigued student should have a tea or coffee break also and relax themselves down.
Meditate
Meditation brings back your distracted focus quickly. While meditating, you must be preferably surrounded by nature. If this is not possible, moving to a comfortable and quiet place will also work. Set your mind free from too many thoughts. Do not think about your work more than you should. Some postures of Yoga is extremely beneficial for releasing stress. Prayers in a noise free and calm atmosphere, does wonders in eliminating stress and regenerating focus and attention.
Some useful meditation techniques which can easily be adopted at your office desk are given below:
– Visualize soothing and peaceful scenery: Shut your eyes. Take few deep breaths and then imagine of a beautiful place of your favorite, i.e. a lake, a waterfall or a meadow. It will calm your nerves and relax your stress.
– Gaze a candle for few minutes: Turn your laptop or computer. Light a candle and keep your eyes at the level of flame. While doing this, exhale with a feeling that all your tensions and stresses are flowing out of your mind.
Listen Calm Music
Listening to music during breaks or after long working sessions facilitates reliving work related stress in a great way. All those students, who have overtaxed their brains and bodies by studying too long and still want to continue after taking some break, must try listening to soft music of slow beats. Instrumental music in a light voice will affect very well on your nerves. Sufi music has very soothing effect and relieves you of any stress. In a subtle way it refreshes mind and prepares your brain to start another session of learning or office work.
Watch a funny movie
Relieving oneself with all the stresses is the utmost need of every person who has worked hard for some time. Watching a comedy movie of either personal choice or some hit and popular movie, recommended by a fellow colleague or friend, provides not only entertainment but furnishes an opportunity to get rid of all work related stresses.
Play a game in break
Taking break from long working session and playing games with colleagues is a very beneficial way out for reducing stress. Since you have used your mental faculties optimally during work sessions in the office or studying, the games you should play in break must not be such that involve putting pressure on your brain. The physical games having too many activities should also be avoided.
According to Nikita Loomis a writer from CourseworkClub further says that:
The games which can be played on mobile phone or internet are to be preferred as they distract the mind from work related stresses.
Go out for meal
Working too much and for too long start showing its results in shape of fatigue, stress, loss of focus, and strain on eyes. One should go out for a healthy meal with friends. It will have a more relaxing effect if a healthy meal is taken in a nearby restaurant. Drinking soup and consuming enough proteins will not only satisfy your appetite, but chat and gossips with friends will also make your mind fresh.
If you think that going out of office is not possible, you should at least avoid taking meal at your office desk. In this situation, you should take your meal at office canteen or mess.
Healthy and hygienic meals must be preferred over junk food, otherwise, in the next working session, you might suffer from flatulence or stomach disorder. It can hinder your performance. A better idea is to have light working meal.
While taking a break do not think about work
The key to stay stress free and regaining quick focus after break is to get rid of all thoughts related to work in break. So keep yourself away from these worries, as these only stimulate stress. If you keep thinking about work during rest sessions, it will lower your productivity, once you’re back into the swing of things.
Take a nap
Numerous studies have revealed that taking a nap revitalize physical and mental capabilities swiftly after long exhaustive working session. Following is a list of benefits emanating from taking a nap after lengthy work.
– It boosts productivity and help regaining concentration. A study conducted by Dr. Mathew Walker from university of California, asked participants to perform a task which involved comprehending lots of information. Half of the participants were given an opportunity to take a nap at 2.00 P.M, while rest of the people kept on waking. The result of this study was twofold.
a) The group which took nap, performed better than the other, in post nap session.
b) The napping group after getting up, performed even better than its own performance in pre-napping session.
– It recharges body with energy
– It helps reducing anxiety and depression
– Increases alertness. According to National sleep association USA, naps can increase alertness and reduce mistakes. It suggests that if someone is very tired and cannot continue with the activity, he or she was originally engaged in, an emergency napping of 20 to 30 minutes, can be very useful in enhancing performance level.
– Improves memory. According to experts, napping facilitates moving short-term memories to storage area of brain. In this way, what you have learnt a short while ago is stored in long-term memory area of your brain. In this way, napping proves to be very useful for students.
Summarizing the discussion on rest and refocusing on work after tiresome long working sessions, it can be easily said that multiple resources are available for recharging energy for a fresh round of work. From meditation to exercises and movies to light music, various options are available for overstressed students and office workers to soothe and calm their strained nerves.
