Video Transcript

Hi Ant & Ali here with our Wellbeing Words of Wisdom. 

When we last spoke about You Time, we focused on how you start your day and how something as simple as not going on your phone first thing in the morning, could afford you some quality You Time. 

You Time doesn’t have to be something you do alone. It is simply giving yourself the time to do something you enjoy and it can be taken at any stage throughout the day. 

Here are some ideas of things you can do to give yourself a break: 

• read a book or magazine 

• listen to music 
• watch a movie or tv show 
• take a bath 
• go for a walk 
• exercise 

• meditate 
• pamper yourself 
• spend some time with friends or family 
• do something creative like painting, writing or cooking 

Also getting back to nature is extremely therapeutic and very effective at reducing blood pressure, muscle tension, heart rate and the production of stress hormones. It can help bring you back to the present moment and the connection to the wider world helps with grounding and a reduction in anxiety.  

Let’s look at your working day – when was the last time you actually took a full hour for lunch?  

Think about how many times you have mindlessly eaten your lunch at your desk, while still working, neither your lunch or the task on hand getting your full attention. You are not even allowing yourself 5 minutes to just eat your food in peace.  

Just a little note here – for proper digestion the body should be in a state of relaxation, i.e. rest and digest, and it certainly won’t be in this state if you are trying to do too many things all at once. 

After working in the corporate world for years, I know just how many of you eat lunch at your desk and rarely take a proper lunch break.  

Why not take 10 minutes to go for a walk outside. This will help immensely with productivity. Just 10-15 minutes outside will signal your internal body clock that it should be awake and give you that little boost you need to refocus. Also moving about will help improve circulation, increase blood flow, especially if you have been sitting down all day. This will help re-energise the body. Even just stepping away from the desk for 10 minutes is so beneficial.  

Give some of these ideas a try and see how they improve your productivity and wellbeing. 

Remember, the quality of your You Time is more important than the quantity. Make sure to take a few minutes every day just for you.