Workplace

1. Brighten Things Up – Make a ‘Cheerier’ Workplace

In the pursuit of looking sleek, modern & professional, many workplaces can tend towards darker interiors, cold furnishings and a generally ‘smart’ yet not so healthy work environments.

Too much heavy/dark colours etc can tend to dull the mind and even contribute to lack of vitality and even depression.

With people spending 8 hours plus ‘in the office’, one of the most profound ways to increase morale, positivity and general health is to brighten up your workplace environment.

Life these days is full of requests for our time, energy & expertise. As we like to be needed and feel that we are ‘giving’ to others, we can quickly find ourselves using up all our time…and thus having none left for ourselves.

Once we know our priorities (the ‘most important’ things in our life), one of the keys to our success, is having the ability (& the self-esteem!) to ‘say NO’ to excessive demands/requests.

Bring Nature to You:

Ever noticed that by the end of the week, you just want to ‘get out of your stuffy office’ and ‘get some fresh air’/get back near Nature? One of the best ways to avoid that feeling as well as to improve your mood, workplace productivity, energy levels & resistance to illness is to bring Nature to you.

A study by Professor Margaret Burchett, of the University of Technology, Sydney, found that potplants can reduce air toxins by as much as 20%. A study on houseplants has shown they reduce, fatigue, sore throats & cold symptoms by over 30%. What about at work? Studies in Europe have shown potplants in the office can reduce ‘sick leave’ by 60%.

Plants not only give a bit of ‘life’ & colour to our sometimes ‘over-business like’ office environments; they can literally help reduce stress, offset the various toxic emissions from things like computers, mobile phone radiation, synthetic carpets, paints etc, increase mood and productivity & reduce absenteeism.