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Grassroots with passion
LIVEWELL, ULA GHM REO
Thank goodness, it’s Friday. Looking at this app message the previous Friday… somehow, I felt relaxed with the thought of a nice weekend to come. The very thought of being able to put down my workload after a couple of hours put me at ease and relieved me of my stress.
On the contrary, come Monday morning, with the whole working week ahead, I feel less jubilant but composed to face the days to come.
I believe, many of us share this same experience, and yet day in and day out, we go through this cycle of our life.
I have come to terms with this. It taxes both our physical as well as our mental capacities as it affects howwe feel: whether we feel happy, relaxed, composed, agitated or constantly worried.
Whilst many factors can affect how we feel, we can live and adopt a lifestyle that is more pleasant for us.
Let me share my experience with a few pointers as a guide:
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Take short breaks every now and then, during work. If you are deskbound, working on a computer constantly, do take a break at suitable intervals to stretch yourself. Walk to the pantry to have a drink; have a tea break either by yourself or with colleagues. Many a task, in particular where coordination and information sharing are needed, can be done during the so-called tea or team break. It can lead to being productive whilst you have your time to relax. Reward ourselves. Midweek or midway through a hectic time period seems to be an appropriate time. Gather your buddies to chill out and enjoy your ‘happy hour’ after a hard day’s work. Wednesday seems right andmany entertainment outlets offer promotions especially if we have female companions. I enjoy short vacations tonearbyplaces suchasMalaysia and Indonesia. Every other year, I will reward myself with trips to further destinations, which include free and easy travelling with the intention to experience how others live in their part of the world. 2
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Regular exercise is of benefit toour bodies. Besides thephysical benefits, exercise helps relieve mental stress. I do brisk walking frequently, and this is one exercise which you can do during your work day. Walk the extra distance to your train station instead of taking a feeder bus. Climb the stairs instead of using the elevator, whenever you get the chance to. This way, you build exercise into your daily routine. Do not ignore other aspects beside physical activity. Sleep and having proper rest is important to our health. I need between 6 to 8 hours of sleep each day. Listen to your body especially if you feel lethargic, or start being forgetful when you are deprived of sleep. Take care of our nutrition intake and eating habits (like drinking a cup of water before every meal, having a balanced diet, etc). Have screen time breaks. Nowadays, many of us, includingmyself in the past, will place our mobile phones near us when sleeping. Any beep will be answered as if it is an urgent call. This need not be the case for us!
To learn more, we can seek guidance from Active Health, an initiative by Sport Singapore (www.activehealth.sg)
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