5 tips on how best to rest and re-energise in the workplace:

1. Get some fresh air

Sometimes you’ve just got to get out of the stuffy office and breathe some life into your body! Research shows that spending time in nature will improve short-term memory, increase your energy, reduce stress, improve your concentration and sharpen your thinking and creativity. Oxygen makes up 65% of our bodies (by mass) and is key for burning fuel (sugars and fatty acids) in our cells to produce energy. More oxygen equals more energy, meaning you will naturally think better outdoors than inside a stuffy office. So why not have your next meeting outside? Just 10 minutes away from your computer can do wonders! If your day slips away and it’s suddenly lunchtime, grab a co-worker and spend your break outside (preferably not in the smoking area). The fresh air and physical activity will boost your brainpower.

2. Meditate

If you can’t leave your desk at all, not even for a quick stroll around the building, then you should try a bit of meditation to get your body and brain relaxed and re-energised. For many people, meditation sounds a bit new-age and ‘out there’ but you can meditate at your desk, without rolling out the yoga mat! A few simple breathing exercises can do the trick and no one will even notice, trust me! Bringing attention to your body will automatically quiet your mind, take a few deep breaths, extending each new breath. Try counting to 4 as you inhale and then count to 6 on the exhale. Then extend to a 5 second inhale and so forth.

This will slow your heart rate and let your body relax. For an extra boost to your brain, try alternating which nostril you breathe through. This will harmonize both hemispheres of the brain and bring balance to your body. Perfect for when you are stuck in meetings all day! You can also help your sore muscles out by tightening and then releasing them at 5 second intervals. Not only will this help relax your body, it will help clear your mind. Do any of these exercises for 5-10 minutes whenever you feel stress or tension building:

3. Be social

After a few solid hours of staring at your computer screen, it’s a good time to get up and have a chat with some of your co-workers. Having some fun with those around you can break up the day and change the office atmosphere for the better. If, like many others, you work in a small office environment without much opportunity for social interaction, perhaps find a local café to visit for a 20-minute break. Studio 7.5, a small Berlin-based design firm, gathers employees for a home-cooked lunch at a communal table every day of the week – think how much closer you would be if everyone in your company came together like a family every day. Alternatively, do you have a friend who works from home? Perfect! Invite them to meet you for lunch. Catching up with a friend during the week will help remind you that your life is more than the four walls of your office. These three articles are perfect for team building exercises, creating lasting relationships at work and how to be a great team leader:

4. Power nap

You should never feel guilty for getting some quality shut-eye while you’re ‘on the clock’. The benefits of a power nap will quickly be reflected in the work you do. Studies show that just 10-20 minutes will boost your performance. After a power nap, you’ll notice that your concentration, memory recall, stamina and motor skills have all improved and that your stress levels are much lower. Of course, not everyone can have a mid-day nap while everyone else is furiously typing away, but you can catch some judgement-free z’s on your break.

5. Be mindful of what you put in your body

A big contributor to revitalising your energy is your diet. Many of us tend to snack at our desks and overload on coffee to give us that extra boost when we are lagging behind but we know that caffeine leads to an energy crash as it starts to wear off (see our article Eating Well To Reduce Illness). Although no one should get in between you and your morning coffee, why not try the occasional cup of green tea and mint instead?