This is Part 3 of a 3-part Series: The Non-negotiables of a Breakroom.

Creating a modern, inviting breakroom for employees is essential for maintaining an efficient, productive workplace. You first have to ask yourself, what is the point of a breakroom?  A break room is a designated area where employees can take a break from their daily tasks. It is a place where they can socialize with co-workers and relax. A break room allows workers to re-energize and refresh. It can also be used as a space to collaborate, share ideas, and work on projects together.

In talking with some of the experts in the field, there seems to be 3 “must have” aspects to consider when you are creating a break room that employees will love and appreciate. 

Fun

The more serious your work is, the more you need to have fun on your breaks. 

• A great way to unwind and destress is to play games. Pool tables, air hockey, darts and other interactive games can add a greater physical element to sideline stress and help employees regain focus.  
• If space is limited, consider having a community puzzle everyone can work on, or a community white board where a trivia question is posed or a story is started and each person adds a word.
• Decorations for the season, events and holidays; a bulletin board with an employee highlight of the month: favorite foods, pets, family, hobbies.

Functional

Quick – what are the top three things you think when you hear the words “take a break”? 

• Put your feet up and relax
• Have a cup of exceptional, fresh coffee
• Grab a snack or some lunch

If your break room allows for those three, you have yourself a functional break room.  But don’t stop there!  There’s coffee… and then there’s coffee. Is your break room truly a place where people can go to relax, or are there TVs blaring & fluorescent lights glaring? Are the fridge, microwave, and coffee pot clean?  Is it a place where people can enjoy their lunch, helping your employees to “rest & digest”?  Your answers to these questions will help you determine if your break room is serving its intended purpose or not.  
At garten, visual merchandising is a cornerstone of our brand experience. We’ve built our experience to influence healthy and productive decisions, while making it a place where your team can connect, refuel, and relax. We always use the best materials, natural elements, varied textures and eye-catching pieces.  Let us know how we can help you design a functional break room that ticks all the boxes!

reFreshing

Ultimately, if you are not walking away from your break feeling refreshed and ready for another round of work, then there is room for improvement.  We at garten put the emphasis on “fresh”.  You can’t “re” fresh without it.  And, when we think fresh, we think of food.  You have to ask yourself if the snacks available in the break room are reflecting this ideal.  When your employees eat from the food that is available, will they tank 90 minutes later?  Will their blood sugar crash from the rushed energy buzz they get from over-processed, sugar high carbs?  Or will they stay steady through the afternoon by having a balance of healthy carbs, good fat, and high quality protein?

When we asked, “What are ‘must-haves’ in a Fun, reFreshing, and Functional break room?”, the answer was fresh healthy food providing energy to get through the day.  But variety is also key, keeping the selection fresh and seasonal as well, with great merchandising to draw the eye in and options that are healthier overall.  That’s why, at garten, we are committed to providing the best training for our partners that aligns with the “look and feel” of the vision of the program through 3 different avenues:

1. In-Office Kitchen: One solution for offering employees healthy food during work hours is to have an in-office kitchen. This kitchen can be equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, and other appliances that allow employees to prepare their own meals. Having an in-office kitchen also allows for the implementation of a company-wide initiative to reduce processed and unhealthy food options.
2. Catered Meals: Another solution is to offer catered meals for employees during work hours. Garten works with local catering companies that specialize in healthy and nutritious meals. This option can be especially beneficial for companies that have a high employee turnover rate or for those who have employees that work long hours.
3. Employee Education: A third solution is to offer employee education on healthy eating. This can be done through our self-serve garten Experiences platform with workshops, seminars, or online resources. By educating employees on the importance of healthy eating and providing them with the tools and resources they need to make healthier food choices, companies can create a culture of health and wellness.  From a recent nutrition class held, “Janine was well knowledgeable about nutrition and Nuance employees had wonderful feedback!”. 

Overall, by providing employees with these non-negotiable resources, companies can improve employee productivity, reduce absenteeism, and promote a culture of health and wellness. It’s important to remember that different solutions will work better for different companies and it’s important to find the right combination of solutions that work best for your organization and employees.  Let us know how we can help!

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This is Part 1 of a 3-part Series: The Sensible Breakroom.

Break rooms are an essential part of any workplace, allowing employees to take a break and de-stress. But what if you could make them even better? By designing a break room that uses all five senses, as well as the holistic approach to mind, body and environment, you can create a truly unique and multi-sensory environment that boosts productivity and wellbeing in the workplace.
Designing a break room that incorporates all five senses doesn’t have to be difficult.

Here are some tips to get you started:

Sights

Create an inviting environment with natural light and colors that stimulate the senses. 

• Windows & skylights are a plus, but you may be stuck working with what you’ve got.  So, instead of bright fluorescents, have lamps around with soft, ambient lighting. 
  
• You can also add wall hangings and decorations to personalize the space.
  
• Real plants (succulents are easy to keep alive!), and rotating artwork (especially done by employees) can create a fun creative space.

Smells

Incorporate natural scents like lavender, lemon or vanilla to soothe the senses and promote relaxation.  Be careful of using synthetic fragrances, as some are sensitive to those. 

• Open the window if possible to let in fresh air.  Bringing in an air purifier will help keep things fresh as well. 
  
• Try this for getting rid of burnt popcorn smell in microwaves: make a solution of 1 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of either lemon juice or vinegar in a microwave-safe container. Heat for 2-5 minutes, then wipe clean.
  
• Consider having an aromatherapy area, with blends used to de-stress, energize, or promote emotional health.  Have a small jar for each blend (labeled clearly).  Apply a drop or two of the oil blends on some cotton balls and till the container with them.  Encourage employees to take the cotton balls back to their desks for quick little pick ups throughout the day.

Touch

Make sure the furniture and amenities are comfortable and cozy, so that employees can really relax and recharge.  

• Provide footstools so employees can relieve tension in legs and low back
  
• Get a couple of massage pads that can be placed on the back of chairs
  
• Provide tactile activities that help relieve stress: adult coloring, clay or kinetic sand, stress balls, playing cards, etc. 

Sound

Create a calming atmosphere with low-level background music or natural sounds like birds chirping.  In addition:

• Provide headphones that offer noise canceling so employees can get away from sounds and take a moment in silence for meditation and relaxation. 
  
• Bring in a small counter or table top water feature to not only increase visual relaxation but audible as well. 
  
• Great conversations & laughter is always welcome – have a question or joke of the day posted on the bulletin board that helps people get to know each other and stimulate conversation.  Conversation cards on the tables can also be a fun way to interact with team members and associates. 

Taste

Of all the improvements you can make in your breakroom, this is the most important as it will impact your employees for hours to come.  Provide refreshments and snacks that are easy to access and enjoyable to eat. This can range from teas and coffees to healthy snacks and treats.  Making sure the offerings you have are intentional to give your workers the energy they need to get through the day, to handle the stress that comes with their workload, and to have brains ready to be creative and productive. 

• Good Fats – As noted by the NIH, “The human brain is nearly 60 percent fat. We’ve learned in recent years that fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain’s integrity and ability to perform.”  It is also important for us to avoid oils that were once thought of as “healthy”, but studies are showing they may cause scarring of the arterial wall.  Healthy Nuts, seeds and avocados as snacks are a great way to get this important macronutrient during the work day. 
  
• Good Carbs – yes!  We need carbs for energy, but we have to have the right ones at our fingertips.  When our bodies are tanking, we will start to crave the high carb snack that is the most convenient.  The healthiest sources of carbohydrates—unprocessed or minimally processed whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans—promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients. (Harvard School of Public Health)
  
• Good Protein – the building blocks of endurance and strength. Supplying healthy snack power packed with protein will help employees feel nourished and ready to handle the workload ahead of them. If they are easy to grab, all the better.  Think hummus and veggie packs, cheese sticks, jerky, and yogurt.

Why not just let the employee bring in their own lunch or snacks?  Because you care (or you wouldn’t have read this far in the article… )  But, don’t feel like you have to do the heavy lifting yourself!  Companies like garten have been managing the staff break room for years, and are highly skilled at taking the guesswork out of what to provide as well as staying within budget.

The Sensible Solution

By incorporating all five senses in your break room, you can create a truly unique and multi-sensory environment that helps to promote productivity and wellbeing for your employees. With the right design and a few simple touches, you can make your break room the perfect place to step away from the office and recharge.  Take a moment to look around your breakroom – which of the 5 senses are the most in need of improvement?  What one small addition can you make today?

Next up: what are the non-negotiables in a breakroom atmosphere?

The post State-of-the-art Break Rooms – Part 2 – The Sensible Breakroom appeared first on garten.

This is Part 1 of a 3-part Series: Break Rooms as Art.

Can a breakroom actually be a thing of beauty?  With an emphatic yes, it is more than possible, it is a non-negotiable.  Here is why:

Employees feel they are valued like a Monalisa 

While 9 out of 10 executives may think their employees feel cared for, the truth is, only 56% employees believe this to be true.  This trend can be reversed with careful consideration of the employee’s needs in a breakroom. 

Morale is boosted and corporate culture is improved

Like any art enthusiast will tell you, it’s all about culture.  Having a place to go to let off steam, create a sense of community, remove a tense vibe and encourage mental breaks will help employees avoid burnout. 

The break room becomes a hub for interaction and collaboration

A creative space will breed creativity and fresh thoughts will brew over fresh coffee.  Make a place where the mind can relax and productivity will flow.  People will gather and share a meal as well as a great idea. 

Employees make more of their break time by staying on-site

As Forbes put it, “Chaining yourself to a desk or scarfing down your lunch in your cubicle isn’t a recipe for success – it’s a recipe for disaster.”  We agree! And for those going out to lunch, there is not much of a break when it’s all said and done.  Creating a great space to relax and eat allows your employees to enjoy more of their break time in a space that shows they are appreciated. 

An impressive meeting space is created for clients and guests

We hear this kind of feedback at garten.  “Other locations come to our site and comment in awe about the variety of healthy snacks they see”, said one manager.  He mentioned that his team is loving the variety that is offered through garten Kitchen. 

In addition to ample choices of high quality, nutritious food, we make sure your break rooms are beautifully stimulating spaces to gather. And then…

Your break room becomes a great selling feature for recruiting new talent

Potential employees would be wise to look for the 3 B’s when assessing a company’s culture and employee value:

Bathroom

How the employee bathroom is maintained says A LOT about how much an employee is valued by the company. 

The Boss’ Office

How does it compare to the general workspace?  If there is a big difference (windows vs. nothing but fluorescent lights), it is sending a message about whether employees are considered to be important contributors, or just cogs in the wheel. 

The Break Room

Does the break room welcome you, inviting you to re-energize and reconnect?  Is it well designed, stocked and maintained? Like a good work of art, does it attract and draw you in through all 5 of your senses?  In part 2 of this series we will go over what it means to have a “sensible” breakroom, including a tip sheet to help you achieve the break room of your dreams. 

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Stress eating is a common problem that affects many people, especially those who spend a significant amount of time at work. According to recent statistics, an estimated 70% of meals are consumed at work, which can have a significant impact on both mental and physical health, as well as productivity and overall well-being.  So, if you have a stressful job, and you have to eat while you are at work, how can you avoid stress eating?

Step One: Choose the Right Foods

Consuming high-calorie, high-fat foods in response to stress can lead to weight gain and an increased risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Additionally, consuming large amounts of sugar and unhealthy fats can disrupt the body’s natural hormone balance, leading to feelings of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

How do you know what foods will support your mind and body during stressful work days?  It’s helpful to think of foods falling into 5 tiers, or levels of health.  Making the most of your meal times by choosing food mostly in the higher 4 & 5 tiers will be supportive, foods in the bottom tiers will cause you to crash and burn. 

Step Two: Give your Brain a Break

Stress eating can also negatively impact productivity at work. Consuming unhealthy foods can lead to feelings of fatigue, brain fog, and lack of focus, making it difficult to perform tasks effectively. Additionally, stress eating can lead to a lack of motivation and a general sense of apathy, which can impede productivity and make it difficult to meet deadlines and achieve goals.

When you are needing to refuel, step away from your desk.  Sit by a window, go outside, or to the break room if it is a comfortable, stress-free environment.  Eat with mindfulness, focusing on the taste, chewing slowly, and savoring the flavors. Take this time to do some gentle movement, deep breathing, or quiet meditation. 

Step Three: Take it to the Top

Not only does stress eating affect the individual, but it also affects the company’s bottom line. Poor health and productivity can lead to increased absenteeism, higher healthcare costs, and a decrease in overall productivity. This can have a significant impact on the company’s bottom line and its ability to meet its business objectives.  Giving your leadership honest feedback on how they can improve the work environment may just be the missing link. 

Here are some essentials:

Clean, bright, cheerful break rooms with nutritious foods attractively displayed.

Employee input on what foods they would like to have available in vending machines for quick grabs and around the coffee pot for energizing breaks.

Tools to make it easier to manage the budget and demand.

In conclusion, stress eating is a common problem that affects many people at work, and it can have a significant impact on both mental and physical health, as well as productivity and overall well-being. To combat the effects of stress eating, it is important to find healthy ways to manage stress, to have access to healthy food options in the workplace, and to take regular breaks throughout the day. This will not only improve the health and productivity of the individual but also the company’s bottom line.

The post Stress + Eating + Work Doesn’t have to be a Perfect Storm appeared first on garten.

Smart employers realize the same is true in the workplace. They are seeing that a small investment to improve the food employees consume at work is a contributing factor to the success of the company. It’s common sense that higher quality food allows people to operate at a higher level, but it’s been hard to track. 

You need proof an investment will work before you pull the trigger. 

The proof is in. 

Why Higher Quality Food At Work Is An Important Strategy

This meta-analysis shows that both medical and absenteeism-related costs decrease (by $3.27 and $2.73 respectively) for every dollar spent on wellness programs. 

That information is amazing. It shows how powerful the health of your workforce is. 

Providing or subsidizing higher-quality food for employees isn’t only a great way to attract and retain top talent, or to be kind to your employees, or even to become a more sustainable company, it also makes you more profitable. 

Tracking The Proof For Your Company

You need to see that your investment is working so we developed an industry-first, proprietary Nutrition Dashboard. You get real-time data of what your workforce is choosing. This allows you to watch how people will migrate toward healthier foods when there are delicious options to choose from. In short, you have objective evidence of how the program is working at your fingertips. 

Tracking this data is amazing for employees to correlate how they are feeling and performing with the data of their team’s consumption. 

At the same time, leadership is able to more accurately track the ROI of prioritizing their team’s wellbeing. 

Real Results, Real Return

One of the top American cloud-based software companies based in San Francisco found an interesting result with the Nutrition Dashboard. 

Everyone knows how negative sugar is for health, but it’s not easy to eat less of it. With garten Kitchen, employees chose foods that cut the daily intake of added sugar in half over three months. The positive effects from this lower sugar intake will include increased productivity without the afternoon crash, clearer decision-making, and health improvements. 

The Nutrition Dashboard gives you the insight to correlate the nutrition of your workforce and objective ROI. This tool allows you to create an environment that supports your employee’s own desires for wellbeing. 

Forbes points out that employees’ feeling cared for by their company is, “a necessary business strategy for gaining competitive advantage on multiple levels”. The Nutrition Dashboard gives you the data to see that the strategy is working. 

Workplace wellbeing really is a sustainable competitive advantage. 

Get the whole case study here. 

The post What $1 investment has proven to put $6 back in your pocket? appeared first on garten.

“[Salmon] hatch in a gravel bed in a stream somewhere deep in the wilderness, wiggle up into water current and eventually enter an overwhelmingly vast ocean. After years of swimming with whales and avoiding sharks, they travel sometimes thousands of miles back to that same little stream in that same wilderness where they reproduce and die.”

No maps, no guides, and no GPS units, but they manage the trip. 

How?

Through interacting with the earth’s magnetic field (and smell, but this isn’t an article about salmon migration). 

They solve the problem of getting back to the place they’ve only been once, by interacting with what is fundamental…in this case, the earth’s magnetic field. 

Dr. Tony Nader and garten CEO Michel Heinrich discussed in a recent garten Infinity Speaker Series interview how consciousness is highly practical to businesses wanting to be effective. 

With medical and scientific degrees from Harvard and MIT, Dr. Nader isn’t the average meditation teacher. He explains how an understanding of consciousness can propel businesses because it is how to cultivate a workforce with the clarity of vision to be truly effective. 

Why Should Business Leaders Care About Consciousness? 

The subject of consciousness is fascinating, but that’s not why it’s relevant to leaders. 

Instead, it’s because understanding consciousness is how you are able to interact with reality on a more fundamental level. The more closely your effort and innovation are applied to reality, the more valuable your company’s solutions will be.

What does it mean to say that consciousness is fundamental? 

Saying that consciousness is fundamental is saying that our physical world is an expression of consciousness as opposed to them being 2 separate things or that consciousness is a product of the physical world. 

It’s something like saying that steam, ice, and liquid water are all H2O. If you think that water is only liquid or only ice, you will not be able to see the bigger picture and you’ll make mistakes because of it. 

If you see H2O as fundamental, you can see that steam, ice, and liquid are all expressions of the same thing. 

The video at minute 10 discusses this:

Being effective comes from clarity of vision;

Clarity of vision comes from clarity of thinking;

Clarity of thinking comes from the source of thought;

The source of thought comes from deep within us which is consciousness.

Stress – the normal workplace reality – reduces the field of view. Stress restricts what can be considered. Practically speaking, stress reduces broad comprehension and long-term vision. 

Watch this famous video about the monkey business illusion to experience what happens with a narrowed focus. 

The Monkey Business Illusion

Just like you missed what are – in hindsight – obvious things, stress reduces focus to just what is thought to be the important details from the stressful standpoint. It’s remarkable what can be missed in that state. 

When a workforce is in a state of stress, physiology dictates that important pieces of the picture will be missed. Imagine what that means for your company… 

Wellbeing is a sustainable competitive advantage  

The most valuable problems to solve are the issues most fundamental to life on earth. When you cultivate a workforce that is more squarely dealing with reality, you will have more people who can discern between what matters and what is a distraction. 

If humans were salmon without valuing the reality of the magnetic field, we would devise all sorts of ways to navigate. The trouble is, the starting point would be away from reality – any of our solutions would be subpar. Move back to reality – sensing the magnetic field – and we can now ignore all of those clever innovations that we had to develop simply because we weren’t starting from reality. 

Dr. Nader explains that with meditation, people are able to experience – not just know about – this greater field of consciousness or awareness. The ability to tap into greater awareness is available, but its value in the business world has only begun to be realized – probably because we are only just awakening from the trance of hustle culture. 

Supporting workplace wellbeing is about more than being nice or having programs that attract good hires. Wellbeing is a sustainable competitive advantage. 

More about garten:

Business leaders committed to wellbeing in their own lives and in their companies bring in garten to support mind-body-environment wellbeing. Our bread and butter is setting up amazing food and kitchen programs that save your internal team time and stress while fueling your people with better-for-you food. We’re also expanding our offering of resources like on-demand yoga that can support your mission. If you see the ROI on investing in wellbeing, get started here. It’s easy and we are friendly. 

To your wellbeing!

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It goes without saying that we’ve all probably heard ‘eat your vegetables’ at some point in our lives. Little did we know then that plant-based eating would be at the forefront of health and wellness research. 

Eating plants has many recorded and researched benefits but one of the biggest selling points is that eating plants supports your immune system. Plants have essential nutrients that you cannot get from other foods. The vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in plants help keep your cells healthy and your body in balance so that your immune system can function at its best. 

Plants are also very high in fiber. Fiber is present in all unprocessed plant foods. It is what makes up the structure of the plant, and if you eat more of it you access a whole host of benefits, specifically a healthier gut biome. Fiber can lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar and it’s great for good bowel management. Eating a plant-based diet improves the health of your gut by making you better able to absorb the nutrients from food that support your immune system and reduce inflammation.  

With that said, not all plant-based food is healthy. If you’re in a pinch, a plant-based snack can tide you over, but watch out for added sugars and overly processed foods. A plant-based protein shake like Vedge + non-dairy milk is a great meal replacement or on-the-go fuel to get you through back-to-back Zoom calls. Right now, you can try Vedge protein powder by purchasing a Snack-from-Home snack box.

One of my favorite styles of plant-based meals is what’s known as a Buddha bowl. Start with a bowl, add a whole grain like quinoa or brown rice, a cooked vegetable like broccoli or kale, a raw vegetable like chopped carrot or onion, a starch like sweet potato or yucca, and finish it off with a protein source like chickpeas, or black beans and you have yourself a delicious, nutritious, plant-based smorgasboard. Here’s a great site to learn more about crafting and planning meals using the Buddha bowl philosophy.

Written by garten’s Brendan Terranova

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We interviewed Nimai and asked him to share what his top tips for health, fitness, and wellbeing are heading into the new year. We’ve included our own top tips in our blog post below:

Nimai’s top tips for health, fitness & wellbeing in 2021:

Set a goal. You can’t work towards something if you don’t know what your goal is. Define that goal, be specific. Then give it a timeline. Be realistic. For example, set a reasonable goal like lose 10 lbs in 10 weeks. Break your goal down into bite size portions that work for you and track your progress.

Create an environment for success. For example, if you have a fitness goal, don’t buy junk food and expect not to eat it. Stock your fridge to support your goals—especially if you’re working from home. Hang up sticky notes to remind and inspire you. Create a vision board. Follow Instagram accounts that inspire and motivate you. Consume consciously.

Create an empowering routine. Even just a special hour of the day to empower your health, fitness, and wellbeing. The best time to do it is first thing in the morning. If you can’t do it in the morning, schedule it on your calendar. To take this even further, plan a second timeslot later in the day, such as after work, to get in another round of rejuvenation. An example of this would be meditating, reading, listening, or watching something inspirational and/or restorative, like going for a walk.

Eat more plants. Incorporate a more plant-centric diet. 80% of disease can be prevented through a plant-based diet & a healthy lifestyle. You don’t have to go full vegan, just incorporate more plants. Many professional athletes are doing this to fuel their training, competition, and recovery (as seen in James Cameron’s Documentary “The Gamechangers“). You don’t have to become a professional athlete but you can learn from their empowering habits and integrate them into your daily life.

Check-in with your breath. Set a reminder/alarm in your phone for once or twice a day to check in with your breath and body. We often don’t realize that we’re holding a lot of tension in our body by either holding our breath or taking really short breaths, which leaves us feeling stressed and tensed up. Try this simple breath-practice: Close your eyes. Put your left hand on your belly and your right hand on your heart. Take three deep breaths, feeling your heartbeat and your breath with your hands. Then say hello to yourself (I.E. “Hello, Nimai”). As you do this, relax your eyebrows, let go of the tension in your face, relax your shoulders, and place your awareness inside of your body.

Curated by Vedge Nutrition’s Nimai Delgado

garten’s top work health, fitness & wellbeing tips for 2021:

Move your body before starting work. Stretch, yoga, go for a walk, do a full workout. Doesn’t matter if the movement is big or small, but make it a habit to move your body before you engage your mind with work. You will have more mental creative energy if you start with movement.

Walk & talk whenever possible: work phone calls, one-on-one meetings, or even just during a short break in between meetings. Make this a habit & you will easily hit 10K+ steps. Do this for a few months and you’ll be in better physical & mental shape without a doubt.

At the end of the workday, write out a list of everything you still need to do the next day and the rest of the week. This way your mind can stop thinking about work and rejuvenate so it’s fresh for the next workday. This is especially key when working from home, to create a mental barrier between work and home life.

Celebrate progress. When you set a specific goal of an observable behavior, you can track your progress. Mark the days that you walk on a calendar or write them down in a journal. If you miss meeting your goal, that’s okay, don’t sabotage your progress with negative self-talk. Be patient with your process, and give yourself grace and a little pep talk. Think of a baby taking her first steps, when she stumbles, we don’t scold her, we encourage her to keep at it. When you do meet or exceed your self-care goals, celebrate and lean into your positive results to keep your momentum going. 

Be kind to you. Think about one area of your life that you have been neglecting. There are perhaps a few, but be kind and start with one to focus on for a few weeks. Research tells us that small changes can yield big benefits and more lasting results. 

Once you have identified the area of self-care that you will focus on, next think about an activity that brings you joy. For example, if being more active is an area of self-care that you want to focus on, but exercising inside has not worked for you in the past, and you know that you love being active while outdoors, then choose an activity that brings you outdoors.

And remember, small changes yield lasting results; you don’t have to initiate a rigorous training program like running a half marathon to realize benefits. An enjoyable walk at lunch can help improve your focus as well as your blood sugar levels and leave you feeling better at the end of the day so you sleep well at night. If you make this a regular workday practice before you know it you’ll be feeling better and more fit than you ever have before. Tiny habits and consistency can truly change your life in profound ways.

Curated by garten’s Justin David Carl (Dragon)

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Becoming physically active is a great way to gain stress management skills and promote overall well being. Pair your activities with goals or challenges and you’ll be excelling in no time. Remember folks, consistency is key here so ease into it. Some great activities to try that are free and easy to start include walking, running, cycling, and yoga. 

2. CONNECT

Healthy relationships promote a healthy well being. Right now it might be hard to get out to the local meetup without concern for the safety of yourself and others. Most of us are lucky enough to have access to the internet which is jam packed with digital platforms for connecting. One of the most popular recently has been the Quarantine Karaoke page on Facebook which is a live stream feed of quarioke.

3. LEARN

Taking the time to learn something new promotes self growth, aids in self confidence, and may even lead to activating new neural-pathways in the brain, especially if it’s been a while since you have taken the time to add a new practice to your routine. One great way to start on a new learning path is by auditing your schedule first to clear cut free time and devise a master plan for practice time and execution. 

4. GIVE

“Giving has been proven to decrease blood pressure and reduce stress. This reduction promotes longer life and better health. Giving promotes social connection. Studies show that when you give to others, your generosity is often continued down the line to someone else, or returned to you.” Research shows that those who volunteer live longer and have happier lives. Charitable giving delivers a host of benefits to the body and brain. Regardless of whether you give your time, money, or energy. 

5. BE MINDFUL

Maintaining attention to the present moment can improve your mental well being and play a big role in stress management by reducing thoughts outside of the present moment and the tasks at hand. There have been countless studies on the benefits of a mindfulness practice and it’s standard practice for most high performing individuals. One of the immediate benefits is a deep sense of calm, and the ability to schedule and execute tasks with a deeper attention to detail.

Written by Brendan Terranova

The post 5 Steps to Mental Wellbeing & Stress Management appeared first on garten.