Welcome to this space, corporate troopers! In today’s fast-paced business world, it’s crucial to prioritize mental health awareness at work. This is where we get a little personal, and get to talk about mental health and well-being in addition to, looking at some unconventional approaches to maintaining it.
It is our responsibility as individuals to become our advocates and guard our mental health at work, especially because more and more organisations of all shapes and sizes are indeed embracing the idea of having a solid, effective workplace mental health initiative. So here is the countdown of 4 unconventional ways to excel at mental health at work!
1. “Desk Zen” Zones
What do you think about reaching your workplace and creating your personal “oasis of calm”? You just need your workspace – your desk at the office. Choose the place on the desk or in the corner — create a small area that has soothing influences like a small plant, a scented candle, photo frames, miniatures, or a beautiful and calming wallpaper on the computer.
If at any point in time, you get frustrated or stressed up or even tend to lose your focus, do spend some time with your zen zone. Subconsciously, you will be back with a clear and bright head without you noticing it! Treat it as your getaway for relaxation whenever you need a break at work.
Creating Your Personal Oasis
The concept of “Desk Zen” zones is gaining popularity as part of a holistic workplace mental health strategy. These personal niches act as micro-refuges that enable the employees to step out of the working environment, at least for a few minutes, to regain their mental balance.
I now understand this by incorporating elements that will elicit a multi-sensory fun and quick way to change your state of mind – the aesthetic beauty of a plant, the aroma from a candle, or just seeing photos of loved ones.
The Science Behind Desk Zen
You could consider getting a tiny water fountain or a zen garden for your work desk. The sound of water dropping or even the simple movement of raking sand is somewhat soothing. You may also add a stress ball or a fidget toy in case you feel the hand gets a little cramped up while typing. It is important to find or buy some objects that you like or that are important to you and put them in your Zen zone to create a feeling of harmony and concentration.
2. Power Of “Brain Breaks”
Why wait for the adverse effects when one can just understand the benefits of taking a break for the brain? To put it plainly, a brain break means that you can leave your desk for a few moments during the day and do something more interesting!
It could be as simple as stretching, solving a puzzle, taking a mini-game on one’s phone, browsing fun content online, or watching cute cats on one’s social media page. Consider these kinds of small interruptions as part of your everyday life as they help to free your will and give it new power to work effectively and succeed in what is given to you.
Types of Effective Brain Breaks
Brain breaks are an essential component of maintaining mental wellness in the workplace. They’re not just about taking a break from work; they’re about allowing your brain to shift gears, which can enhance creativity, improve problem-solving skills, and reduce mental fatigue
Consider implementing a “20-20-20” rule: every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds staring at something located 20 feet away. The following is a very basic way that can help to minimize eye strain and offer a momentary way to discharge stress.
You may also do brief formal relaxation techniques such as a two-minute body scan or a few rounds of deep breathing. This practice can assist in reducing stress levels and being able to focus when you come back to your work.
Implementing Brain Breaks in Your Routine
It is now the rage in most progressive organisations to incorporate special “brain break” rooms in the design of the buildings. Such areas can be games, art materials or toys, comfortable cushions for power naps, etc. If your workplace does not have an area like this, you can propose it as the company’s idea of implementing a comfortable mental health environment in the workplace.
3. Establish “Fun Rituals“
You have to know the saying all in work and no play makes Jack a dull boy by heart. Therefore, why would you not implement the same in your life?
Also, this is one of the most intimate and close-to-the-body ways to get ready for the day or take a break in the middle of the day. It could be as minor as saying a positive statement in the morning or as absurd as dancing to your favorite tune before going to work or when you want a stress reliever moment!
Turn it into your ‘fun routine’ and watch as your morale and motivation improves tremendously!
Personal Fun Rituals
It is also important to note that fun rituals are one of the best ways to reduce stress and maintain good psychological health at work. They brighten up your day and act as quite a break from pressures that come with working environments and the job itself.
Personal rituals are also crucial. Before a crucial meeting or important presentation, you could choreograph your positive power pose, or design a Sunday Lunch tradition where you indulge yourself with your favorite food or restaurant.
The thing is that when you have these positive experiences again and again, you have reliable sources of joy and stress reduction in your work.
Team Fun Rituals
These rituals can also be done with other personnel at work thus making the environment good to work in. For example, you can create a custom of playing music on Monday mornings, each team member can choose one song that is inspiring to him/her.
Or, there could be something as simple as a “Funny Friday” whereby members take turns to tell a joke or a funny story before the end of the week. These aspects can enhance the relations between the team members and foster a more supportive environment at work.
4. “Cosplay” Days
Who wouldn’t enjoy the sound of ‘have designated cosplay days in the workplace’? It is not what your mind may go directly to thinking about when hearing such a term. .. It could mean almost anything because politics is much too vast and diverse to be narrowed down to one meaning.
No rule says that the days chosen for cosplay are necessarily about dressing up, it can also be the typical ‘business casual’ day at work kinda thing. Based on the social appropriateness and the organisational culture of the workplace you are in, you can propose either of the two types to HR or management.
It’s such days employees feel they have something to work harder for, something that can build their confidence and give them morale!
Planning Cosplay Events
Cosplay days can be an excellent way to inject fun and creativity into the workplace, serving as a unique form of stress management workshop for employees. These occurrences cultivate personalities, raise the spirits of the members of a group, and aim to develop and maintain good relations in the place of work.
Cosplay for Conservative Workplaces
However, for more conservative work environments other classifications such as ‘business cosplay’ or ‘office cosplay’ are much more suitable. This could include accessories or colors such as in favorite MCU characters but not outright cosplay. For example, wearing the red and blue tie if the wearer wants to look like Superman, and the purple scarf if the wearer wants to look like the Joker.
Please always remember that these functions aim to enhance the quality of mental health of employees and make the atmosphere at work more light-hearted. You must make such participation optional and should also take into consideration the feelings of all the employees.
Here’s your cue to sprinkle your work life with these and nail your mental health at work. And, indeed, work takes a rather significant portion of one’s life – at least one-third of it. Therefore, you must determine the ways to preserve mental health while at work.
