You’re at work and the digital clock at the bottom of your computer screen reads three o’clock. Meanwhile, your sugar is dropping and the grey walls of your cubicle are closing in around you. Deadlines, meetings, and other pressures from throughout the day have given you a nasty tension headache. You desperately need to relax and re-focus.

But what can you do?

Do you reach for the bowl of chocolate treats sitting on your co-workers desk? No…that would mean more time at the gym and even less time to relax.

Do you head to the break room for your umpteenth cup of coffee? No…you’re so jittery from the last twenty cups that not sure that you’ll be able to fall asleep tonight – or ever again.

Good news!

You can relax without endangering your diet or your night’s sleep! By using your senses as a guide, you can create a relaxing, spa-like atmosphere right at your own desk.

Here are some suggestions to get you started!

Seeing is Relaxing

Your environment greatly influences your mood and energy levels, so if you’re environment is grey and lifeless, you will be too! Therefore, it is important to create a work environment that both calms and inspires.

Here are some helpful tips:

Decorating inside the Box

Start by picking basic colors for your background color palette, colors that you can build upon. Shades of blue and green are the most relaxing, but other shades, like lavender or mocha, can work too. Use these colors for your walls (office or cubicle), your fabrics, your picture frames…etc.

Avoid using wild prints and patterns for such a small space (even if you have a large corner office – use prints and patterns only for accent features).

Picture this!

Next, start gathering pictures of places you have been, or places you would like to go. Pick prints that define relaxation for you. Whether they be of an exotic beach, a majestic mountain, or your favorite spa. Pick a place that makes you feel the most at peace. It can even be a picture of the lawn chair on your lanai, if that means relaxation for you. “Hey! Don’t forget me, probably a picture of me your “beauty therapist” help you too”

Then, select your favorite prints, frame them according to your taste (and color palette), and place them around your cubicle (or office). So the next time you get hit with the three o’clock blahs, you can gaze at your pictures and escape.

Smells like Team spirit.

An office rarely smells like a rose, but you can pique your senses with aromatherapy at work! Keep a bottle of  Lavender Essential Oil in your desk drawer for emergencies.  Lavender oil is the premier essential oil for promoting relaxation. Dab a little on your wrists and take several deep cleansing breaths. Once you are calm, you can effectively deal with anyone, even your boss!

Not Chocolate, Not Coffee – Tea!

Instead of reaching for the chocolate on your neighbor’s desk, reach into your drawer for a Protein Energy Bar or a Green Tea Bag contain natural herbs which can help you get through your day. Most teas have the caffeine you desire, but also contain anti-oxidants, which are good for you!

Give yourself a Hand!

Keeping a bottle of hand cream on your desk, like, Arbonne Age-Less Hand Cream is essential. Offices aren’t known for their great air circulation, and our hands often suffer as a result.

Besides, a little dab of hand cream gives you the perfect excuse to do something good for yourself. Like giving yourself a hand massage as described below:

·         Squirt the desired amount of hand cream into the palm of your hands. Then lock your fingers together, palms touching. Next, vigorously rub your palms together in a back and forth motion to disperse the cream.

• Then, keeping your fingers locked, rub your hands together firmly in a slow circular pattern to thoroughly massage each palm.
• Next, place dab of cream between the thumb and pointer finger of your right hand, and grab the thumb of your left at the tip.
• Then, rub the left thumb with the pads of your other right thumb and pointer finger in a slow, downwards motion to the knuckle.
• Repeat on each finger to invigorate and revitalize your tired hands!

Sounds Good to Me!

If music can soothe the savage beast, it can soothe you too. Provided you are allowed a CD or MP3 player at work, I highly recommend buying Spa CDs or downloading songs that are soothing in nature. Music that includes running water or other natural sounds is especially calming, because it brings us back to nature, and to ourselves.

Remember, music is the key to creating the relaxing environment you seek. Because it not only soothes your soul, it drowns out the din of office noise so that you can focus on what you need to focus on.

Bringing the Outside In

Including natural elements in your work space is another great way to create a relaxing atmosphere. Plants, in particular, make a healthy and peaceful addition to your workspace. But even if you don’t have access to even indirect sunlight, there are others ways to bring life to your space. For example, buying a small, desk-top fountain is an easy and inexpensive way to add the soothing element of water to your environment. Water promotes a healthy flow of energy while it serenades you with its streaming song.

You an also add the element of water by adopting a Beta fish. By lining its watery glass home with pretty pebbles and exotic plants you have not only giving the fish a nice home, you are adding life and beauty to your office. Plus, Beta fish are relatively low maintenance and watching them can lower your blood pressure.

And in Conclusion!

The most important thing to remember about creating a relaxing environment at work is that it’s all about YOU. If you like it, and think its relaxing (and it won’t get you fired)…go for it!