When you leave work do you feel stressed and exhausted? If the answer is yes, the reason might be attributed to poor ergonomics. (You can not blame everything on your boss.) Read on to discover ways you can leave work feeling a little less stressed at the end of the day.
1. Make sure to take micro-breaks throughout the day: Stand up, stretch, and walk around briefly. To stretch: reach overhead, take a deep breath in and reach up even higher while arching back slightly. Do this once per hour if you are well or twice per hour if you are in pain.
2. How is your posture while you work? Does your chair offer any support? If not, you might want to consider adding a lumbar cushion for ergonomic support.
3. If you use a laptop, place it on a stand so the center of the monitor is at nose level, and use a satellite keyboard and wireless mouse. Move your mouse closer. It should be placed right next to your keyboard so you don’t overreach or twist your shoulder, arm, or wrist when clicking.
4. Do not sit too far away from your computer. Your torso should be about an arm’s length away from the monitor.
5. To address tension in your shoulders and upper back, a great exercise is to raise your shoulders up toward your ears, then take a deep breath in as you raise your shoulders up even higher. Now, without exhaling lower your shoulders all the way down. Then exhale and relax your shoulders further. This will help alleviate tension and teach relaxation. This exercise can be done either sitting or standing. 
Stay tuned for a future blog post about breathing techniques. Until next time, wishing you a productive week.