Whether you commute to the office or work from home due to the pandemic restrictions, if your profession needs you to sit at the desk for long hours, your body, mind, and emotional well-being take a toll.
Long working hours, although not listed under occupational hazards, affect us enormously. The human body is a powerhouse of energy; our physical structure and capabilities are created to be active rather than sit all day, yet we must.
Apart from the visible effects of muscular pain, fatigue, headaches, and stress, long sitting hours also affect the functioning of vital organs like the intestines and heart. It reduces the metabolism rate and also leads to loss of bone density.
There are a few things that you can do to overcome most of these!
Things you can do to ease the physical fatigue
- Invest in an ergonomic workstation:
An ergonomic workstation ensures that your spine doesn’t need to bend or droop, your eyes are aligned with the screen, and your neck doesn’t need to tilt up or droop.
To do this-
▪Adjust monitor height – Align the monitor at the level of your eyes.
▪Adjust chair height – Your feet should either touch the floor or have a base to rest upon. The arms should lay parallel to the desk rather than at an angle to it. Your spine should stand straight.
▪Adjust the height of your desk: The desk should be such that in the sitting posture, you do not need to raise your shoulders (this happens when the desk is high) or lean forward (this happens when height is low).
▪Your feet must not stay suspended: I am telling this again. Either adjust chair height so that your feet touch the floor or use a stool.
- Take Care of Your Eyes
Increase font size, reduce the screen brightness to limit the strain on the eyes. Sitting in the air conditioners for long hours can dry the eyes, especially if you wear contact lenses. Use eye drops to prevent it.
- If you need to attend long calls frequently, invest in a headset to free your hands and lessen the strain on wrists and ears.
- Take breaks: Get up from your chair and move around, even if there is little space. You may walk while you are on the phone. Reach out to your colleague’s desk to deliver a message rather than pinging him. Also, refreshment breaks can be invested to have a brisk walk of 5 to 10 minutes in the fresh air.
- Do these simple exercises in your office!Neck exercises
- Stretch your neck by tilting your head down towards the back and on the sides.
- Rotate your neck gently and at a slow pace.Spine exercises
- Sit at a right angle and pull your navel towards your spine.
- Stand straight, hands on your hips, and lean backward. Stop bending further when it pains, get back to the standing position. Repeat.
- Sit upright. One foot on the floor and the other resting on the knee. Bend forward to stretch your back.Eye Exercises:
- Eye Rolling-Close your eyes and roll them. It is very relaxing.
- Focus – Take a break from work every 20 minutes or so. Focus on a distant object for 20 seconds.
