Simple ways to release workplace stress

Nowadays, stress is everywhere. We are going through a never-seen coronavirus pandemic that is affecting our physical as well as mental health.

As the majority of us are currently struggling to work from home owing to the pandemic and yet stay productive, stress related to work can also affect our efficiency and overall professional life.

Here are some simple DIY biohacking steps to reduce workplace stress and boost your productivity:

1) Eat healthy food

You know food has the power to keep your emotions intact. Eating healthy food, which includes vitamins, proteins, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds can help you give the required energy to stay physically and emotionally fit. You can perform well at your tasks with full concentration, which can easily reduce the stress of work piling up and performance issues.

2) Maintain a regular sleep schedule

An ideal sleep schedule should be at least 8 to 9 hours a day. However, as we are now not traveling much outside and staying indoors only to complete our household and office work, at least 7 hours of good quality sleep can put the brain and mind to rest and help you stay away from negative and anxious thoughts.

3) Avoid certain things

Avoiding coffee altogether or at least reducing the intake of coffee can help you reduce your stress levels. Not only that but eliminating the intake of lots of sugar from your diet can also help you to keep your blood sugar in control and improve your cognitive function. Before going to sleep, say NO to social media updates, watching television and mobiles as it makes you thoughts wander about what is happening in the world around you and thus, affecting your sleep cycle.

4) Follow a regular exercise routine

Regular physical activities are a must for sound physical and mental health. The more you stay active physically, the more you will have no time for unwanted thoughts that can keep you engaged for a longer period of time. Can't go swimming, jog or walk right now? That's fine, many yoga asanas and exercises can be performed at home by watching YouTube or fitness television channels. Remember, health is wealth and no wants to work with a tired person ever. Hence, in order to give your best in your professional and personal lives, stay physically active.

5) Working along with brainwaves or binaural beats

Music is a significant component of my day. I use music when travelling(not right now), exercising, going about my daily chores, and most importantly using it as a medium to enhance my biohacking schedules. If you thought music was purely for listening pleasure, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Music is a crucial biohacking avenue that can transform your moods in more ways than one.

For example, if you’ve known or heard about binaural beats and wonder how it works, it has a simple philosophy. For instance, the brain synthesizes binaural beats naturally. When you listen to this special music, your left and right ears receive different sounds and tone frequencies. When your brain captures these different frequencies from both your ears, it produces a consistent and rhythmic frequency known as binaural beats, which is what you are actually perceiving. And using this scientific principle, you can now induce specific states into your body such as healing, transcendental meditation and awareness by listening to binaural beats and even chanting the sacred ‘OM’, Tibetan chanting or meditation.

Check on how Biohacking Music Can Uplift Your Mood, Mind & Energy

6) Try Nootropics to reduce stress and increase your mental focus

Smart drugs or cognitive enhancers are known as Nootropics are natural or synthetic substances that can improve a wide range of mental and physical capabilities. As of 2020, its research is at a preliminary stage, and adoption is low due to a lack of awareness. Note: The term "nootropic" is derived from Ancient Greek words, ν?ο? (nóos) = "mind" & τροπ? (trop?) = "a turning". (Have written a detailed article in case you want to know more about What is Nootropics?)

Piracetam, choline, Deprenyl, Ashwagandha, Omega 3, and others are nootropics i.e. smart drugs, which can improve your mental focus and help you perform better at whatever task you take in your hands. If you feel that you get tired by the end of the day after your work schedule, it is time to improve your mental capacity by trying out some safe and test mind-enhancing substances, which will help you to enhance your memory, mental speed and focus. (This is pure experimental on the basis of the need of body chemicals)

Bio-Hacking is “do it yourself” scientific approach of experiments on the body, including the food we eat, the music we listen, the lifestyle we follow. It involves monitoring what happens in the body and creating takeaways of “what is working” and “what is not working”. The above tips worked for many and you can also explore them for fixing stress issues.

PS: How I started all these experiments?

Well, when I first heard the term biohacking from a friend (Sushant), I was intrigued by the concept and began reading up on it. I realized that biohacking, although it is a blend of hit and trial experiments around my lifestyle, it involved plenty of tweaks to suit my body. Over a period of time, it impacted how I exercised, what I consumed, the manner I slept, my daily movement, and even the music I listened to. All this helped me in understanding the body and tweaking required to cope up with the internal/external environment and factors. (read more on how I started all these experiments https://dobiohacking.com/about/).

Originally Published on https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/impact/simple-ways-to-release-workplace-stress.html