Many find “hump day” to be a tough day for many reasons. From midweek fatigue to the simple growth of the workload from the beginning of the week can make Wednesdays busy and stressful. Successfully navigating Wednesdays signals the approaching weekend, when work stresses can be put aside for fun and free time. But how can we get through the midweek in a positive way, retraining our minds to stop dreading Wednesdays, but to celebrate them using practical recharigng strategies? Here are a few simple tips to help you find renewed energy and productivity to finish out the week.
Take Short Breaks
Short breaks can have powerful effects on how you handle the stress of a busy day. Research has shown that the consolidation activities that occur in our brains when we learn something new can occur while resting just as powerfully as they do while we sleep. Samantha Artherholt, a psychologist and clinical associate professor in the UW School of Medicine’s Department of Rehabilitation explains “allowing yourself downtime with minimal stimuli helps replenish your brain’s capacity for attention, focus, and creativity, and it allows you to process new information you’ve learned and tie it to other ideas.” Keep in mind, the effectiveness of a short break can be highly dependent on how you use it. Use your short breaks to engage in activities that are relaxing yet conscious, such as a walk outdoors or a brief chat with a coworker. A short break has powerful abilities to increase energy and decrease stress levels.
Practice Mindfulness or Meditation
Mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment in an accepting, nonjudgmental way. It is a skill that can be practiced by anyone anywhere. Taking a minute to be mindful of the thoughts and stresses the day may bring can enable you to redirect thoughts to the present moment. Simply taking a few minutes to focus on our breath directs our attention back to the present, clearing the clutter in our minds. As a result, we trade worry and stress for greater focus and productivity. Meditation is a related practice which can bring awareness to our emotions and thoughts without being reactive. This leads to better emotional control and a greater sense of wellbeing. Often when we are overwhelmed, our mind tends to wander – worrying about the future, dwelling on the past, always thinking about everything but the present. Setting aside a few minutes for mindful meditation can help bring us back to the present moment when we find ourselves lost in our heads. Meditation is a skill that takes practice, but even the first-time beginner can notice huge benefits. Research has shown mindfulness and meditation are reliable methods for reducing stress in any area of life. As an added bonus, you will likely also find yourself exuding a far calmer and kinder energy!
