Do you dread going to work? We can’t help you with the mountain of emails you need to deal with or the reports you boss just told you she wants done yesterday, but we can give you a few tips to help brighten up your workspace to help reduce your stress and give you a calm atmosphere where you can be your most productive.
Ready to improve your cubicle or office? Here we go:
1 – Noise cancelling headphones
This one might seem obvious, but we’re always surprised by how many people don’t have a pair within reach in their office. There are a lot of reasonably priced options these days, and it’s amazing how much just eliminating some of the droning buzz of a room full of cubicles can help you concentrate and focus. Sure, you can’t always use them—even if you wish you could just pop them on when your annoying co-worker comes over for a chat. But when you can use them, they’re amazing!
2 – Stress toy
If zen toys like swinging pendulums, or stress balls, or fidget spinners have ever worked for you for stress relief, you should consider keeping one on your desk at all times. Sometimes it just helps to have something to touch and hold when things are getting away from you. And other times, when you’ve been staring at a computer screen for hours on end, it’s just nice to do something other than type with your hands. Playing with stress toys can help with productivity so if you’ve never given one a try before, this is definitely something you should check out.
3 – Photographs
We use our phones and social media to store so many of our pictures now, but there’s something very special about printing out a photo or two to keep on your desk. Choose fun photos of loved ones whose faces make you smile so you can start releasing endorphins as soon as you look at them. Significant others, siblings, good friends, kids, or even beloved pets are great choices. Pick out one or two of your favorites and consider having them printed. There are lots of affordable photo printing services online that can help you tweak or color correct your favorite shots. And have fun with your frames too! This is a great chance to add a real, personal touch to your impersonal office space.
4 – Wall or desk calendars
Marking upcoming events on a calendar can help remind you about things other than work that you’re looking forward to. Think about marking vacations, holidays, birthdays, and parties so you can glance up when you’re really stressed and see that you have something nice and relaxing in the near future. If you choose a calendar with images or photos that make you happy then the calendar will be doing double duty to improve your workspace.
5 – Plants
Okay, the science on this one is pretty solid. Live plants can help improve your mood and reduce stress. If you’re ready to try this in your workspace, think about small, low maintenance plants like succulents.
