6 Easy Self-Care Habits You Can Develop in the Office

Nowadays, we live in a society that hypes the hustle culture. We laud fresh graduates who immediately step foot into the workforce and those who take on a number of side jobs to live the life of their dreams. Although there is nothing wrong with chasing after your aspirations, taking this mindset and culture to heart may lead to exhaustion and, ultimately, keep you from performing your best.

Striking a balance between working diligently and looking after your mental health certainly boosts your work life, paving the way for you to enjoy what you’re doing and helping you be a lot more productive. Keep the burnout at bay by making a conscious effort to maintain your well-being even when you’re ticking off all the tasks on your to-do list. To give you a head start, here are 6 quick self-care ideas you can integrate into your daily office habits!

Personalize your workspace

Your cubicle is your home away from home. This is where the magic happens, so it’s essential to keep it a conducive workspace that paves the way for productivity. Decorate it the way you want and create an environment that you’re comfortable with because at the end of the day, it’s supposed to help you keep your mind calm no matter how chaotic your tasks can be.The genius Albert Einstein once said that “a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind,” so make sure to keep it tidy and organized at all times.

To kickstart your journey in making your workspace your own, head over to Miniso and get your hands on their Clip Table Lamp to brighten up your desk. The dimmer your space is, the less concentration you get to put into the reports you have for the day.

Another workspace essential you won’t regret shelling out some money for is a Keychron C1 87-Key Tenkeyless RGB Backlight Hot-Swappable Wired Mechanical Keyboard from DataBlitz. Since it has a brown switch, it’s not as clicky as others, but you get to feel a slight bump in every click which makes it perfect for setting up your mind to conquer a long report ahead.

Take intentional 5-minute walks

We often get caught up in the grind to the point that we totally forget to take much-needed breaks. That said, making the effort to hit pause on your tasks is a must, so plan it out—add it to your to-do list, set an alarm, or write a note you can easily see.

Your breaks don’t have to be elaborate; even just a 5-minute quick walk outside to get a breath of fresh air goes a long way to de-stress for a bit before going into full work-mode once again. There’s nothing wrong with taking several mental breaks once in a while to clear your mind and give your brain cells a couple minutes of rest.

Make friends and share a meal

Your fellow workmates are your family within the four corners of your office, so don’t just greet them when you see them. Allot some time to intentionally build and establish genuine friendships with them.

Taking care of your well-being also entails having someone to talk to, someone who understands and who may be in the same place as you are, so find your office buddy and be respectfully transparent in voicing out your struggles and concerns during lunch breaks. Of course, this is a two-way street which means that you also have to be prepared to lend a listening ear.

What better way to strengthen a friendship in the office than conversing over shared meals? Get to know your fellow workmates better while savoring a filling Pepperoni Pizza from Yellow Cab to share with the rest of your department.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with the Munchkins Bucket from Dunkin’ Donuts. Not only will this snack lift up the heavy and tiring mood among you and your workmates, but it will also be a good snack to munch on while taking a quick break or disclosing work stress with your office buddy.

Do stretching exercises

Desk jobs also have the tendency to cause body pain. Since you’re mostly sitting down and doing the same routines in your desk chair most of the day, there is that possibility of feeling discomfort and even experiencing health concerns related to your neck, shoulder, and lower back.

That’s why it’s important to create healthy desk habits such as stretching. Not only would it help prevent you from suffering from physical health issues, but it may also help raise your serotonin levels which regulates your mood and simply makes you feel happier.One seated stretch you can do is an overhead reach where you elongate your arm overhead and reach the opposite side for about 10-30 seconds each side. Another is the hamstring stretch where you extend one of your legs while seated and reach your toes for 10-30 seconds  per leg.

Lastly, we highly recommend doing a neck roll. All you have to do is to look straight, carefully tilt your head to your right, slowly roll it around, look straight again, and do it on the opposite side.

Listen to some of the best bops 

Help stimulate a good mood and hatch those creative ideas for your next pitch by listening to some catchy tunes. Whenever you’re getting stressed out by all the paperwork piling up or when you’re nervous about a meeting with your boss, one way to help soothe yourself is to listen to some relaxing and calming music. Just make sure to keep the humming and singing to a minimum.

For optimal music listening, give the JBL Tune 500 Headset from PC Express a try. Compatible with a wide range of smartphones, this headset delivers nothing but exceptional sound for you to find your work groove. If you’re looking into a more portable and easy to carry gadget, put the RealMe Buds Q2 from Realme on your list of earphone prospects for a sound experience that you can enjoy all day long. 

Develop mindfulness through journaling

Make it a habit to list around three things that you’re grateful for the day. Be it the big wins such as getting a promotion, receiving a raise, or impressing a client, or whether it’s the small wins like accomplishing a task, meeting a new workmate, or reorganizing your workspace—all of these matter and are worth acknowledging and celebrating.Doing so helps you foster a culture of mindfulness within yourself which contributes a lot to creating a positive outlook on your work. Although it is the reality that not all work days are great, take a look around and try to identify things or even people that you appreciate.

You won’t regret buying yourself an Hahnemühle: DiaryFlex Note & Sketch Book from Fully Booked; a stylish journal that allows you to write in a fresh and clean slate. If lined notebooks encourage you to journal more, a crowd-favorite notebook would definitely be the Victoria Journal NB 9768 Taylor Set from National Bookstore with its minimalist design that allows you to doodle and express your mindfulness in any way you want to!

Above all, keep in mind that working hard does not have to be at the expense of your mental and physical health. Unfortunately, burnout can happen to any employee, no matter how dedicated and passionate you are with your job.That’s why taking greater strides to protect your well-being at work is a must. It’s not too late to foster a space and a culture of self-care within you and your co-workers, so take the leap to reach your dreams and prioritize yourself (yes, you can do both!).

To help you cultivate habits that will change your work life, SM Deals is here to offer you great discounts and vouchers for your work setup and essentials. Make sure to check them out when setting some time to recharge; you might just get the best out of current promo deals! On top of that, practicing self-care habits in your workplace is within reach with SM Malls Online, your one-stop shop for everything that you need—gadgets, apparel, stationery, and lots more!