It’s common these days for many people to feel stressed at work.

Sometimes it’s the nature of the work itself that causes these feelings of stress, other times it’s the sheer volume of work that needs doing and the constant pressure of deadlines that have to be met can make today’s workplace a stressful and frustrating place to be.

The following 5 tips may help to relieve some of that built up stress…

1.    Smile

It’s a simple fact that smiling makes you feel good.  Not only that, a genuine smile can help brighten the day of those that receive its good wishes.  Not many simple acts can help lift your mood as quickly as a smile and as well as being completely free, its benefits are shared with those around you.

Don’t feel like smiling?  It doesn’t matter as it’s the physical act of smiling which helps reduce stress and helps you to feel better.  Just try it!

2.    Breathing exercises

At times when your stress levels become excessive instead of venting your steam at your unwitting colleagues, try slowly counting to 10.  Whilst counting try to slow your breathing by taking deep breaths.  Not too deep mind you as you don’t want to end up either passing out or hyper ventilating as although this may temporarily reduce your stress levels, chances are you’ll end up being given the kiss of life by Keith from your I.T. department…

3.    Have a massage at work

Sitting for up to 8 hours a day in front of a computer can take its toll on the human body.  Although the benefits of massage have been well documented, it’s often difficult to find the time to fit in an hourly long massage treatment in the evenings or weekends.

Luckily there are now companies that specialise in providing qualified massage therapist services in the workplace.  Treatments durations can range from 5 – 30 minutes and can either be delivered at the desk or in a separate meeting room and are an ideal way for companies to increase employee morale and motivation.

4.    Adopt a positive attitude

The great philosopher Marcus Aurelius once said “Our life is what our thoughts make it”.

Therefore if we think that we are stressed at work, we will inevitably feel stressed at work.  Changing how we feel through adopting a positive internal dialogue can help ensure that all problems are viewed as challenges that can and will be overcome.

5.    Listen to some relaxing music

Music can have a deeply calming effect on us all and there are a whole host of relaxation CDs available to create a stress free environment.  To prevent you’re co-workers from complaining about your choice of relaxation music you may need to use head phones plugged into your PC or ipod.

If you’ve already tried all of the above techniques and you’re still feeling close to assaulting your co-workers with the contents of your in-tray it may be worth taking a 10 minute walk in the fresh air to help put things into perspective.

Sometimes it’s worth remembering Richard Carlson’s wise words “Don’t sweat the small stuff… and that it’s all small stuff”.

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Corporate Massage

Many organisations face the stiff challenge of attracting and retaining good employees, as the most valuable employees can often take their pick of excellent jobs due to their high qualifications. Whether your company uses corporate massage through a regular employee wellness or benefits package, or as part of an incentive program, a chair massage program can be an asset to your human resource department and your company.

The number of organisations that offer corporate massage therapy to lower stress and improve productivity is growing every year. A workplace massage therapy program can help to increase job satisfaction and create a caring environment that employees really appreciate. And a corporate massage program can even help attract skilled workers in the first place!

Corporate massage has quickly become one of the most popular and requested benefits in the workplace today. The physical demands of long hours at the computer and the high stress of the new marketplace have made all forms of work stress reduction increasingly necessary. A good chair massage reduces fatigue and tension for greater productivity and safety.

So just what is corporate massage? Corporate chair massage focuses on the upper body areas that often cause problems for people who sit at a desk or use a computer keyboard. Chair massage can help prevent or relieve carpal tunnel syndrome, tension headaches, neck pain, and back problems. This chair massage technique is performed in your normal work attire and requires no oils. Instead of using a table, the massage takes place in a specially designed portable massage chair provided by the chair massage therapist. Leaning forward in the chair allows you to relax completely with your head resting in a comfy face cradle lined with a soft, disposable cloth cover. The therapist(s) will bring everything that they need, including massage equipment and supplies. All you need to provide is some quiet space and eager participants. Corporate massage typically takes about 10, 15 or 20 minutes, no longer than a coffee break, but is far more effective!

Take a look below and ask yourself if any of these benefits could help you or your company:-

Reduce Stress: The overall corporate massage session is designed to reduce physical as well as mental stress.

Increase Morale: Chair massage is an effective benefit that shows employees that your company cares about their mental and physical health.

Decrease Repetitive Stress Symptoms: Problems like carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis are examples of injuries associated with repetitive actions. This type of work leads to chronic tightness and physical injury. Corporate massage helps to reduce this chronic muscle tightness and help to educate clients on correcting posture, stretches, and self-help.

Increase Range-of-Motion: Range of motion is decreased by chronic tension; corporate massage can reduce tension and tightness, thereby increasing range of motion.

Reduce Muscle Soreness: Poor posture and chronic tension lead to soreness and pain. By reducing the tension through corporate massage and educating your employees on posture, corporate massage can help eliminate pain of this nature.

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