4 Ways to Find Calm at Work
Overthinking, overanalyzing, jumping to conclusions, worrying about the future….sound like you?
Anxiety has a tendency to spiral, and we can convince ourselves that the worst is happening, and that everybody is judging us. Anxiety spirals at work can come from worry around:
- Our performance
- Tasks that are piling up
- What’s going on at home while we’re away
- A meeting where we have to give a presentation
- Office tensions
We’re here to help! Below are some science-backed tips as well as a guided mindful moment by (Ret.) Navy SEAL Commander, Jon Macaskill to help you break the spiral and feel more grounded no matter where your stress is coming from.
#1 Find your Breath
Our body has a built-in way to calm a racing heart: breathing. And you can do it right from your office chair. “Box breathing” is a technique where you use a 4-count to slow your heartrate.
- Take a slow, deep breath that fills your belly for 4 seconds.
- Hold for 4 seconds.
- Exhale completely for 4 seconds.
- Hold for 4 seconds.
- Repeat for 4 cycles.
#2 Use your sensations to ground you
Another practice that can help break thought spirals is called mindfulness (which is just a non-judgmental “awareness”…we already judge ourselves enough, so we can take a break from it for a moment). Close your eyes to quiet the mind. Direct your attention toward sensations in your body. Focus on the weight you feel through your hips and back if you’re sitting. Feel the pressure of your feet on the floor. Notice where your body is holding tension, without trying to change it.
#3 Take a quick walk outside
Walking can quickly lower the stress hormone, cortisol, in your body, and it has even bigger stress-relieving effect when we are outside in nature (versus inside on a treadmill). Simply the sensation of moving forward can help us get “unstuck” and break stressful thought cycles. An added bonus is that nature also boosts our creativity, so it might help you better solve a problem on your plate.