Keep Healthy Snacks In Your Home Office To Reduce Stress

It's true we have to eliminate clutter, get organized, and create calm surroundings in our home office in order to reduce stress. However, once all this is accomplished, we still have the stress of our work load. When work is stressful, many of us reach for something to calm and comfort our nerves. Too often, that something is food; and not healthy food.

The title 'comfort food' typically brings on visions of fast burning carbohydrate-loaded goodies. This food will calm and comfort, yes, but at what expense? The comfort is over quickly, leaving you just wanting more, while the damage to your body goes on, and on.

What can be done? Are there better foods that comfort, calm, and relieve stress? Let's take a look at some foods you can enjoy in your home office that truly comfort and calm for healthy stress relief.

Blueberries

This super-loaded berry is an antioxidant powerhouse and is known for improving cognition. High in vitamin C, blueberries and other berries, as well, lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, reducing the effects of stress.

Cashews

Although all nuts are great for snacking because they're rich in healthy fats and protein, cashews are especially high in zinc. This is an important element for reducing anxiety and for improving overall mood. Since zinc is not stored in the body, having a cashew snack every day is definitely a good idea.

Walnuts

Another brain booster, the humble walnut has proven itself to be a real memory builder. And what's more stressful than forgetting what you need to know for your work assignments? Walnuts contain essential omega-3 fatty acids which not only improve memory but helps the brain stay younger, too.

Chamomile Tea

Take a break and have a nice cup of tea; but not just any tea. Try chamomile to calm and soothe the nerves during a stressful work day. Chamomile tea has been proven to reduce anxiety, making it the perfect addition to your stress reducing routine.

Green Tea

Stress can sometimes cause our brains to go into slow motion. If you're feeling sluggish and can't seem to get your mental motor running, grab a cup or two of green tea (hot or cold) and enjoy a boost to your brain power. And the caffeine is not getting all the credit; green tea contains an amino acid that is linked to mental alertness.

Dark Chocolate

No, you don't want to go crazy with a bag of M&Ms. But a small piece of dark chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure and calm the nerves. Stress reduction can be sweet! But, remember; dark chocolate in moderation.

Oatmeal

This complex carbohydrate is a true comfort food. Snacking on a handful of rolled oats will kick your brain into over-drive producing serotonin, the feel-good antioxidant which soothes and calms the brain. Mix together a combination of rolled oats, nuts, and other good foods and keep a container in your home office for a quick snack that satisfies both body and brain.

These are just a few of the many healthy foods that have been shown to help reduce stress in many ways. Keep a supply in your home office for a quick snack that truly comforts and calms.

Be The Boss Of You To Reduce Home Office Stress

If you have been working from home for some time now, you may have fallen victim to a strange phenomenon:  the I'm-Not-The-Boss-Of-Me syndrome. You may have started out being the 'boss of you' in your home office, but since then have noticed some boss-worker lines getting blurred.

Perhaps you're shrugging off responsibility for deadlines, or letting the office turn into a catch-all for the flotsam-and-jetsam of the house, or wandering into your home office only after reruns of your favorite show have ended. Or maybe you're a tyrant boss, not allowing yourself any breaks or fun. Perhaps you are a boss who is not providing your employee with the tools needed to get the job done properly. No matter what's happening, the balance has tilted uncomfortably.

These scenarios are not unusual. As a matter of fact, most work-at-home people find themselves at one point lapsing into a routine that is not conducive to productivity and a good working environment. The employer-employee relationship is strained. Pulling yourself up by the boot straps and getting back to work takes some re-thinking of your employer-employee relationship.

Let's take a look at a few things the Boss (you) can do for the Employee (you) to relieve  stress and get your home office running smoothly again.

Time Management Tools

The home office environment has some unique time management hurdles to clear. Everyone stresses when time is not being used well. Deadlines are missed and you have to answer to your clients at the same time you're trying to figure out how to motivate yourself to get the job done. As both the boss and the employee, you have some serious decisions to make.

Start by providing yourself with the best time management tools you can find. There are many programs and applications for tracking productivity to help identify the areas that need work. Keep track of tasks and the time it takes to do them and you'll soon understand where to focus and make changes.

Break Time

Every good boss knows how valuable time away from the desk can be. Employees, especially dedicated employees like you, often work long hours, skipping lunch and breaks to get a project done. The fact is, when working without a break the quality of the work suffers. Clarity and focus are lost as the brain gets stuck in slow-motion.

As your boss, you need to remind yourself that you are not a machine. Step outside and take a little walk. Fresh air can work wonders on the creative juices. If you need to, set a timer for breaks, lunch, and, yes, even the end of the work day.

Lighten Up

All work and no play makes for a very unhappy crew. When you are both the boss and the employee, it can be difficult to remember to have a laugh or two during the day. Your boss-self is driving you to work, work, work, while your employee-self is all in trying to make the boss happy.

Find something funny to read or watch each and every day. In fact, schedule yourself a  'laugh break' so you don't forget. It is the job of the boss to set the tone for the office, so go ahead, boss, get that laugh memo out to yourself and enjoy some giggles.

Creating a work environment in your home office when you are both the boss and employee can be a challenge. Taking a look at your work day schedule from both perspectives is the only way to keep both you and your boss happy. Yes, you ARE the boss of you so treat yourself like the valuable employee you are.