A puppy for every workplace...

...maybe not yet, but it's heartening to see the Harvard Medical School is offering some creative alternatives to school/workplace stress - hopefully we are moving toward more practices in the workplace that support stress reduction.

Validation

I love coffee - I have many earthy-crunchy friends who try to tell me how bad it is for me - how rooiboos or caffeine-free chai is SO much better - so I'm always heartened when I read articles that state: "...women who were in the top fifth of caffeine consumption had a 20 percent lower risk of depression than women in the bottom fifth." - so 4 cups of coffee a day is now part of my daily health routine. :)

Relax-O-Snack

I have been trying to think of the time I have during the day more like a budget (i.e. how many minutes are spent on...?) - so in that spirit have been asking myself, for example: I have a 1.5 minutes while I wait for the microwave to warm up my lunch - shall I wait and stare, thereby giving up my time to the microwave or can I stretch during that time and not let that stupid, yet fascinating microwave carousel  rule my life? <feeble attempt at humor>

Turns out 1.5 minutes is a perfect time length for a refreshing stretch - today I chose to relax forward, folding at the hips and allowing my hands to hang toward the floor - (Kripalu Yoga Instructors refer to this position as "rag doll") - breathing deeply into my abdomen & low back, letting my hips and hamstrings relax and lengthen - when the microwave was done, I pressed my feet into the floor and exhaled slowly as I returned to standing - I felt refreshed and glad I used that time to rejuvenate a little- give it a try, remembering to breathe and listen to your body in the stretch and feel your feet on the floor and "roll" up slowly when you are ready to stand.

The Future is Now!

I am simultaneously creeped out and amazed that UC Berkeley researchers have successfully re-built the human visual experience.

Relax-O-Snack

I'm not going to rant about the many negative health effects of stress; I just want to encourage you to take a break - whatever you are working on/worrying about will be there ten minutes from now, trust me.

One of the most effective tools I have for relaxation I learned from my teacher, Meir Schneider.  It's a Bates Method technique called Palming (detailed instructions) - how about we get comfortable and give it a try?

1- if you are wearing glasses, remove them - it's not recommended you palm while wearing contacts (if you have glaucoma or high interocular pressure, DO NOT PALM FOR MORE THAN 3-5 MINUTES)

2- sit comfortably, elbows on your desk or table and rub your palms together to warm them

3- close your eyes and cover them gently with your palms, leaning on your elbows - do not touch your eyes, just have your hands gently touching the bony orbits around your eyes

4- relax and breath for a few minutes (as long as you are able)

5- blink before uncovering your eyes - see how you feel!

Breast Cancer & Stress linked in U of I study

Interesting article in the LA Times regarding a study done at the University of Illinois:
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-breast-cancer-stress-20110919,0,6194939.story

The study questioned recently diagnosed women about their perceived stress level resulting in "...an association between stress and the disease – the women who scored highest for stress were more likely to have a more aggressive form of breast cancer."

Hopefully there will be some follow up research -