If you are in the UK you probably soon will be getting ready to go back to work. Soon the pandemic restrictions will be easing up and you will be safe to go back to your office, your desk, meeting your colleagues...etc.
As this idea can be long-anticipated for some, for others it can be a dreadful thought.
Even if you are a complete extrovert and working from home has been carnage for you. Going back to work may still give a little ‘worm in the stomach’ reminding you all the travel hassle, boss being in the same office and breathing over your shoulder or just another change that you need to adapt to.
I am sure there are many more examples and versions of going back to work anxiety these days, however, I am here not to escalate it further but to help you deal with it.
I specialise in stress management, relaxation techniques and wellness coaching because I know how you feel. After working over 10 years in the financial services industry I have battled depression, anxiety and stress-related illnesses myself. Until I found techniques that helped. In my case, those were holistic, natural and non-toxic solutions like meditation, hypnotherapy, yoga, breathing techniques, exercise and a healthy diet. I have become fascinated with holistic wellness ever since and would like to introduce you to some of those techniques too.
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Going back to work anxiety relaxation techniques
Morning Mindfulness Meditation
Learn to detach from negative, anxious thoughts with mindfulness meditation every morning. This can be achieved by practising awareness, identifying tension in the body, understanding yourself and your thinking patterns, and learning how to deal with difficult thoughts and emotions.
If you haven't tried meditation before, don’t overwhelm yourself, start with only a few minutes and increase gradually with time. Meditation is way simpler than you think:
Sit down comfortably,
Close your eyes,
Take a deep breath in and breathe out,
Carry on with few more deep breaths like that,
Let go of all your thoughts, tension and worries,
Concentrate on your breathing, be curious about your breath cycle, notice the air coming in to your nostrils and hitting your throat, expanding your lungs and chest,
Continue for as long as you can and notice all the different feelings and sensations that simple breathing creates.
Mindful breathing is a great start to your meditation practice. If you would like to go further, try a body scan meditation.
This looks pretty similar to the one described above, but instead of concentrating on your breathing, you concentrate on different parts of your body. Start to concentrate on your toes and with your mind releasing tension and relaxing each part then moving up to your ankles, legs, hips, belly….etc up to the top of your head.
Breathing exercise
Abdominal breathing starting from 5 to 20 min each day will reduce anxiety and stress. Deep breathing increases the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness. Breathing exercise also increases lungs capacity and breathing through your nose can help breathe easier, all this adds additional benefits for those with asthma and seasonal allergies.
Abdominal breathing only requires you to:
Sit down comfortably with your back straight
Put your palms on your abdominal area
Breath in the air expanding your belly and abdominal
Breath out and feel your abdominal contracting
Count to 5 on each inhale and exhale
Repeat the same for as at least 5 min.
Make sure you breathe through your nose and keep equal length breathes to guarantee the same oxygen and carbon dioxide level in your body. Studies say that oxygen is equally important as carbon dioxide and equal amounts of both can guarantee optimal health.
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Regular rhythmic exercise
Regular exercise like yoga, tai chi and rhythmic exercise such as running, walking, swimming...etc can reduce anxiety by making your brain's less reactive. It helps to rewire and reset your mind. Has therapeutic effects and helps to relax.
People with anxiety exposed to regular intervals of physiological changes such as rapid heartbeat, risen body temperature, heightened pulse and blood pressure can develop a tolerance for those anxiety symptoms.
I especially recommend mindful exercise and walks in nature. Mindful exercise requires more engagement in the present instead of current worries or concerns. Nature adds more benefits to our health and wellbeing, and contributes more to our healthy minds. According to Mind (Mental Health) Charity - spending time in green spaces improves our mood, reduces stress and helps us to relax.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy provides many amazing advantages to the mind and body. It has a calming effect on the body and reduces anxiety, worries and stress.
You can use essential oils in many different ways. Some of the ways can be diffusers, roll-ons, spritzers and added to products such as bath salts, soaps, lotion, natural home cleaning products...etc.
Recommended essential oils for stress and anxiety relief:
• Lavender
• Chamomile
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Bergamot
Pour yourself a hot bath with a few drops of Lavender essential oil in the evening or add a few drops of eucalyptus or peppermint oil to your shower head for a refreshingly calming morning shower.
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Good night sleep
You know when you don’t have a good night's sleep all day is ruined, you are feeling more emotional, anxious and less in control.
A study suggests that lack of sleep can raise anxiety and the deep phase of sleep is a natural anxiety reliever. That doesn't mean that the only solutions is to take a sleeping pill for a secure nite sleep. There are much healthier ways to induce yourself for deep, relaxing night sleep.
Let me tell you this, all those relaxation techniques mentioned above can also help you improve your sleep if used correctly for that. For example: relaxing meditation before sleep, deep breathing exercise and slow yin yoga practice with calming lavender smell and maybe a cup of peppermint or chamomile tea can put you to sleep in no time.
Healthy routines
All relaxation techniques I have mentioned above can be used singularly as needed or as a relaxation routine that can be combined and implemented into your healthy daily routine for long term holistic wellness.
You can try all of them and choose the ones that suit you the most.
Don’t forget, if you are trying a new routine don’t set too high goals:
- don’t aim to become a master in meditation in a week,
- don’t assume that breathing exercise is easy just because you breathe all the time,
- don’t think that single use of essential oils will take your anxiety away for good.
To see those amazing results you need to practice, move forward step by step with your goals and be patient with yourself, don’t quit at the start.
If you can follow my advice and use the above relaxation techniques properly and regularly, anxiety can become a thing of the past.
Only with a few minutes of your time each day you can reduce worries, increase focus, energy levels and overall health. You can enjoy your days back to work and social environment, so needed for us as human beings.
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Lina Kochanske
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