3 Tips To Stay Healthy And Happy For Busy Mums Who Are Stuck At Their Desk

Whether you drop your kids at daycare and head to your daily desk job or are a work at home mum (WAHM) who labours while the kids are napping, being a working mum is all about the juggle. You’re not just busy, you’re frazzled, spent, and your back is killing you! You’d nod your head in agreement if your neck wasn’t so stiff.

Many mums do double duty, working all day at their job and then cooking, cleaning and child care in the evenings. Your body aches after a day spent chained to your desk, and then your energy wanes as you struggle to put food on the table. Studies show that working mums who try to do everything are more depressed. How can you stay happy and healthy and find time for you? Here are the three most important ways you can take care of yourself as a mother, even when you have limited time and are stuck at a desk all day.

1. Schedule in wellness breaks

One look at your day planner there’s no doubt it is filled with appointments that will take care of the kids, your home, your vehicle and your job. See anything in there that takes care of you? (Mammograms and paps do not count here.) One of the biggest excuses for mums not taking care of themselves is that they just don’t have the time. Wellness needs to take up a top spot on your list, because if you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of anyone else. And then who will wash your kid’s muddy socks or wipe unknown fluids off the wall? The best way to get something done is to schedule it, so schedule in wellness breaks for yourself throughout the day. A five-minute wellness break every hour won’t take away from your work, but will in fact make you more productive and able to get more done. You’ll feel focused, calm and definitely more at ease after each break. If you can leave your desk, consider doing a few yoga poses, taking a short walk around the block or around your office, or even just heading to the lounge to breathe. Use a timer or one of the great platforms available on the web to send you reminders to take your wellness break.

2. Stretch at your desk

Did you know sitting is now known as the new smoking? Sitting is so harmful for your health that you might as well continue to light up if you plan on sitting all day. Studies have found that the people who sit for prolonged periods of time have poorer mortality outcomes than those who are more active during the day. If this news strikes you as bleak, and you don’t have a choice but to be at your desk all day, take advantage of activities you can do for your body while at your desk, like stretching. There are a number of stretches you can do without having to get up from your chair that will not only benefit your neck, back, hips, but also your overall wellness. Stretching is so important in keeping your muscles flexible and strong and allowing you to maintain a range of motion in the joints. When range of motion is decreased, that’s when you get the pain and stiffness associated with sitting, making you want to move less and less.

3. Achieve mindfulness

Working in an office environment, distractions are everywhere – the smell of a coworker’s leftovers for lunch, the sound of your loudest coworker on a conference call, that one coworker that insists on gossiping to her office mate incessantly – it makes it so difficult to focus and achieve. Mindfulness is a great way for you to get some peace without leaving your desk. Using self-regulation practices, you’ll train your attention and awareness so that you can focus on what you need to and dismiss the rest. You’ll feel more at peace and have a general sense of well being, clarity and calmness. There are some helpful videos online that can help you with your mindfulness practice and you won’t even have to leave your desk to do it.

Jacqui Burge is the founder of Desk Yogi, a desk-based wellness application that incorporates activities to improve mental and physical health while at work.