4 Breathing Exercises Scientifically Proven to Calm Anxiety, Fight Stress, and Help You Focus 60 seconds is all you’ll need.

4 Breathing Exercises Scientifically Proven to Calm Anxiety, Fight Stress, and Help You Focus 60 seconds is all you’ll need.

What’s one simple thing you can do anytime, anywhere that is scientifically proven to reduce your stress level, improve your mood, and make it easier for you to concentrate? A breathing exercise. Scientists have shown that by slowing and controlling your breath, and in particular, making your exhalations longer than your inhalations, you can automatically slow your heartbeat. And doing a breathing exercise for 60 seconds is long enough to achieve these benefits. Source: Inc Health.com recently put together a list of nine breathing techniques for reducing anxiety. I’ve tried most of them myself, among many others. Any of them should create a feeling of calm and clear your mind to help you tackle […]

PhD Research on Stress Management Techniques | University of Athens

PhD Research on Stress Management Techniques | University of Athens

According to the World Health Organization, stress is a significant problem of our times and affects both physical as well as the mental health of people. Stress is defined as a situation where the organism‘s homeostasis is threatened or the organism perceives a situation as threatening. Stress coping methods are the cognitive, behavioral and psychological efforts to deal with stress. After a thorough literature review some of the following techniques were identified: Transcendental meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Source Life exists through the maintenance of a complex dynamic equilibrium, termed homeostasis, that is constantly challenged by internal or external adverse forces, termed stressors, which can be emotional […]

7 Meaningful Steps to Reduce Stress & Tension in Your Office

7 Meaningful Steps to Reduce Stress & Tension in Your Office

Most of us have worked with various different companies in our life span. Regardless of the deadlines and targets that need to be met, there are work environments that simply thrive on stress and others that keep it to a manageable minimum. Why is that? It often relates to the culture and actions that companies take to achieve just that. Increase results but make a strong effort by taking specific actions to reduce tension. Here are some steps towards that much desired balance: Source 1.  Identify the problem areas The first step to helping your stressed out employees is to find out what they’re stressed about. Stress comes in many […]

What is Meditation as a practise of Mindfulness?

What is Meditation as a practise of Mindfulness?

Meditation is a practice that requires mindfulness. Contrary to what some people believe, its goal is not to empty the mind of thoughts, but to experience them objectively. That is to say, you experience your thoughts, feelings, and memories as if they were leaves floating down a stream. You watch them all come and go, holding on to nothing. You pay attention only to the moment you’re living in, but it’s a deep attention, which accepts both the painful and the pleasant experiences. Source In practice, some people try guided meditations, in which a 3rd party helps them to direct their focus on different aspects of the moment they’re experiencing. Others […]

Why Mindfulness?

Why Mindfulness?

“I’m so busy, I don’t have time to slow down”: the mantra of our times in this always-connected world. Source Technology promises to make our lives easier, faster and simpler.  But, it’s made our world exceedingly unfocused and overwhelming.  Smartphones and laptops mean there’s no division between work and home.  Our brains, which grow linearly, are overloaded by the exponential complexity of technology, which deteriorates our focus and performance capacity. How do we overcome compounding distractions and evolve into higher-performing individuals?   Enter the science of mindfulness.  MINDFULNESS FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE  Mindfulness is a systematic approach to reprogram our brain and master ourselves to always perform at our peak. Through conscious attention to your mind, body […]

Engagement Ideas that actually make sense (especially in Greece)

Engagement Ideas that actually make sense (especially in Greece)

Employees are the most important part of any organisation. Employees at every level should feel motivated and happy to give their best to their responsibilities. Engaging them helps a company achieve this, which in turn leads to the company’s success.   In our previous article we connected the dots between what engagement is, its importance, some of the broader results it can bring along and provided a wide approach to it. Now, let’s look at few great ideas that can be implemented locally and connect the dots with Wellness this time! Source Employees need something for motivation (Besides money) Consider any sport. Sure, the winners make money. But what drives […]

Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes your brain

Harvard neuroscientist: Meditation not only reduces stress, here’s how it changes your brain

Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, was one of the first scientists to take the anecdotal claims about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness and test them in brain scans. What she found surprised her — that meditating can literally change your brain.   She explains: Source: Health Science Journal.gr  & remedyspot.com Q: Why did you start looking at meditation and mindfulness and the brain? Lazar: A friend and I were training for the Boston marathon. I had some running injuries, so I saw a physical therapist who told me to stop running and just stretch. So I started practicing yoga as a form of […]

Eight Ideas to Reduce Employee Stress for Free

Eight Ideas to Reduce Employee Stress for Free

Keeping employee stress levels low is a common interest among business owners and managers. The less overwhelmed by stress employees are, the more productive they can be. Unfortunately, there’s not usually a big budget set aside for office stress relief. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we go over 8 ideas for free office stress relief.    Offices aren’t the most relaxing places. Far from it. That is, unless you find countless meetings and deadlines relaxing. It’s not just offices themselves. Work’s just stressful. Always has been, and probably always will be. Try as we might, the more we invest money in open layouts, feng shui, or rewards, […]

Six Corporate Health and Wellness Topics

Six Corporate Health and Wellness Topics

Envisioning corporate wellness programs is one thing – implementing them with success and high employee participation is another! Keeping in mind that the participation levels will either ‘make it’ or ‘break it’, we must always strive to make them meaningful and practical when we set them forward. In this article, we’ll cover six ideas including fitness, stress management, nutrition and more. Source: IncorporateMassage.com   1. Food and Nutrition Finding ways to eat healthy food with a busy work/life schedule can be tough. Some people struggle with knowing what kinds of foods are best for their body, others may want to know more about portion controls, or simple ways to clean […]

Five Reasons Executives Should Schedule A Massage Today (by Forbes)

Five Reasons Executives Should Schedule A Massage Today (by Forbes)

Most people still view massages as a luxury item. They feel like they are spoiling themselves by booking a massage whether it’s a 30-minute massage, one-hour massage or a four-hour spa day. But some business leaders are starting to look at massage more as a necessity just like working out and eating healthy. Study after study keeps touting the benefits of massage. As a result, many executives are changing their mindset from thinking of massage as a nice treat to thinking of massage as an essential item in their routine that helps them perform at the top of their game.    Here are five reasons why you should stop making […]