Office Help

[Guest guest]

Dear Kristin,

 

I am a very new person who wants more out of life. I am Bipolar, have

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder. I am

48 and live in Colorado. I want to live not roll over and die. Thank you so

much for your web site, it's a big help.

 

Question Please: I work 10 hours a day in an office cubicle with no windows.

What can I do to energize myself in my cube? I get so stiff and depressed

sitting there all day.

 

Very humbly yours,

Dennis

[Guest guest]

Dear Dennis,

 

Welcome to the list! KY has helped many people with the problems you

mentioned (and many others!). Please do not doubt that it will help you as

well.

 

> Question Please: I work 10 hours a day in an office cubicle with no

windows.

> What can I do to energize myself in my cube? I get so stiff and depressed

> sitting there all day.

 

Some suggestions from a former cube-dweller moved to an open-plan office:

1. Gururattan just mentioned the 4-part breath as a great energizer. And yes

it works! To do this, simply inhale in 4 steps and exhale in 4 steps. If you

do it one step per second (a full breath cycle in about 8 seconds) it should

really perk you up! Make sure you inhale fully. You can also close your eyes

and visualize wide open spaces.

 

2. breath of fire. This is a rapid breath, a full cycle takes less than a

second. To do this correctly you have to breathe "from the belly", paying

attention that your stomach should move in and out as you breathe, and not

your upper chest as we are used to do. This might take a while getting used

to, but it works wonders.

 

3. Head rolls. Much of the stiffness and low spirits of cube life are caused

by tension in the shoulders and neck area, which also prevents the optimal

oxygenation of the brain. Every two hours or so try to elongate your neck

and roll your head slowly in a clockwise direction about 10 times and then

in the opposite direction 10 times.

 

4. try breathing deeply all the time. When we are nervous or tired we tend

to breathe very superficially, which makes all the problems worse. Try

breathing slowly and deeply, filling your lungs from the bottom up. When you

breathe in, your stomach should move out first, then your chest. It may be

hard to remember to do this all the time until you get used to it, but try

to make it a point every time you catch yourself breathing superficially to

consciously take a few deep breaths.

 

5. Spine flexes. If you have a few seconds and if people aren't staring at

you, try to do this: keep your hands on your thighs, and as you inhale flex

your spine forward and lift the shoulders up towards the ears, then exhale

flexing the spine back and dropping the shoulders. This is best done at a

fast pace. You should feel more invigorated after this.

 

Love and blessings,

Satsang Kaur