Do you ever catch yourself inhaling “lunch” before a meeting, staring longingly at the outdoors, or realizing you haven’t stood up for more than twenty minutes throughout your whole work day? I can suffer from these work week pains – which is why, outside of setting calendar alarms to do it – you could say I also need a reminder to step back from the throes of my chaotic calendar and get back to myself.
While I try to make an effort to step outside for a coffee or stroll, it’s inexcusable how often back-to-back meetings and deadlines prevent that. We’re all human beings who likely believe life exists outside of the office, which is why prioritizing a little breather should remain at the top of our lists. If it happens to be one of those days when I can’t swing a field trip out the front door, I turn to a few special websites and add-ons that promote a momentary retreat at your desktop.
Here are three ways to infuse calm into your work day:
1. Calm.com: …Is exactly what it sounds like. Featuring soothing music and dreamy nature imagery, this website is a “guided calm” experience that offers meditative exercises (for as long as you can pencil in – up to 20 minutes) and different timers to help you practice mindfulness. If you’re going to take a moment to pause and relax, I’d recommend this over social media or gossip sites any day.
2. Momentum (Google Chrome add-on): This is my favourite way to consistently find peace throughout my day. This personal dashboard doesn’t offer exercises, but shows you inspiring images from all over the world, greets you personally and helps you organize your to-dos. Every time you click open a new tab, Momentum opens with you as a reminder to slow down and enjoy the change of scenery.
3. RainyMood or Naturesoundsfor.me: You could say that these sites are the equivalent to those noise machines one might use to help doze off at night. RainyMood is just the sound of rain – light rain, thundering storm, you name it – in your headphones; a sound of nature that’s been proven to relax most people. Naturesoundsfor.me is a bit more diverse – offering a panel of sounds (cat purring, forest ambience, fireworks) to serve as your background noise. The best part of the latter is that you can combine noises to create your own experience – something I found out when I mixed the sound of crackling fire with a beach tide.
Keep calm and…enjoy these websites, folks.
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