May 8, 2024
Do you find yourself drained out in the middle of a work-day? Exhausted, unable to focus, forgetting important to-do’s? Workplace burnout isn’t as uncommon as you think, a study conducted in 2024 of workers across eight countries reveals that nearly 50% of them are trying to cope with burn-out at work. Another major multinational company conducted a study and discovered that more than 70% of people confessed that they had experienced burn-out at some point during their careers.
While these figures are alarming, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Human resources managers, business owners and employees themselves are more aware today. They recognize the need to incorporate new coping strategies to deal with stress and anxiety in the workplace while simultaneously retaining productivity and profit levels.
One of these approaches is yoga which combines mental, physical and spiritual practices to give you holistic healing and sustenance.
In simple terms, it is the pressure you feel when the demands of your job exceed your ability to handle them. Some examples of this are when you’re racing to meet deadlines but are unable to meet them, or you cannot deal with difficult relationships with your colleagues or boss, or you find that you’re feeling out of control with the demands of the task. Some workers are confused about their role and they aren’t sure about whom to report to. Insecurity is a looming hazard today, and the hire and fire policy of many large businesses takes its toll on employees.
These factors often play a major role in upsetting your work-life balance, and you may find a domino effect in your personal relationships as a result of workplace stress.
High stress levels cause psychosomatic illnesses and lifestyle diseases. Productivity suffers, and there’s a high risk of accidents in factories or other labor intensive workplaces. As a result, management may face legal issues, workers may report to work though they’re unwell, morale will plummet and there will be backlash on social media that affects the reputation of the business.
Savvy business-owners and managers anticipate this situation and take steps to deal with it in the early stages. The signs are obvious to any keen observer and it’s important to recognize them for what they are.
Productivity does not mean continuous working and popular media tends to highlight successful CEO’s and other role models in the industry who extol the virtues of workaholism. They brag about sleeping for just three hours, never taking a vacation or weekends off, and utilizing every second of time to work.
While this may draw exclamations of wonder, and boost the bottom-line of the business, the rest of the story remains untold. How many of these workaholics end up in hospital with a stroke, cardiac problems, anxiety disorders? They may turn to substance abuse, experience relationship breakdowns, sexual dysfunction, sleep disorders, have anger issues and more.
Being always-on isn’t such a great thing after all! The answer is to prioritize and protect yourself against burnout. You can take mini-breaks, exercise as much as possible, listen to music, take a cat-nap, meditate, practice yoga or Tai Chi, stretch, put your phone away during breaks, use Pomodoro timers, call your family or friends in your lunch break and catch up on news.
Known as the Y-break, more and more people are getting into the act of incorporating yoga into their workplaces. You don’t need to go the whole hog and spend hours on the practice. Instead, look for a program that’s specially designed for work breaks.
You can develop your own set of yoga practices too. You need to incorporate breathing, stretching and meditation into your schedule. You don’t have to move far from your desk, get special equipment or disturb others. A couple of cushions and a high quality yoga strap may be all you need.
Simple practices such as chair yoga that consist of twists, bends and stretches in your chair, hand and finger exercises, eye exercises, deep breathing, neck rolls, gentle forward and backward bends and a few minutes of breathing and meditation are all you need.
Try to be consistent and practice at the same time each day and set a reminder.
Practicing yoga during work breaks help you to retain your physical, mental and emotional strength and balance. You can increase your stamina and stress tolerance when you’re in a calmer and more positive state of mind.
Reduced muscle stiffness, prevention of repetitive impact on certain parts of the body, more flexibility and relaxation in the body and mind help you to focus, concentrate, remember and problem solve.
Your team-building and communication skills improve, and there is a more conducive atmosphere in the workplace. This translates to more beneficial interactions with clients, co-workers and supervisors.
Y-Breaks create a more pleasant environment with healthy competition. You get more clarity and become more confident, assertive and efficient in your working habits. You’re more capable of setting boundaries while ensuring that your performance remains at peak level.
