Desk Yoga?

The past few weeks, I've been having a really hard time with the 3pm slump at work. I could be in the middle of a huge project, and still be so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open. And from what I hear, I'm not the only one with this problem.

So I started looking into "boredom killers" and ways to relax at work. Some of the suggestions were a bit ridiculous. Like...playing online poker with your coworkers...calling and making farting noises on the phone..leaving lewd notes on dry-erase boards. Seriously?

I'm all for a joke, but some things are just not meant for the work place. Unless you're 15 and working at Abercrombie & Fitch, I suppose.

There were a ton of awesome ideas which I'll get into later on, but the one that tickled me the most was Desk Yoga. (Not that relaxation at my desk helps with the 3pm slump, but it certainly does help the rest of the day.)

I loved this article on Monster.com called Relax at Your Desk with These Yoga Techniques. The author immediately won me over with "you may be well on your way to an Ibuprofen moment." I definitely recommend it. And I promise it's not one of those articles that tells you to do butt-squeezes or other things that make your passing co-workers look at you just a bit odd. 

Some of my favorites are from the brown bag options, which focus on creating the environment that makes you comfortable. Here's my desk at work, in its tiny, cluttered gloom, and how I've tried to make it a happy thing to stare at for hours!

A couple months ago, I added my little lamp, not for aesthetics but out of necessity, since the light fixture above my head fried itself and can't be fixed. The joys of working in a 100 year old building. I love the warm light though, and it helps to counteract computer headaches.

One of the desk yoga techniques - to have inspirational quotes around your desk. This is one of my favorites.

I have two plants that keep me company at work. This is George, a recent addition and a spunky little guy.

This is Francine. Her lover, Franklin, lives out at the front desk with my friend. Francine & Franklin were gifts to us by one of our former co-workers.

Another desk yoga technique - tea. In my absolute favorite mug. Everything tastes better in a pretty mug!

I also have two bird friends at work, which oddly enough, don't really have names. This is my little bird, given to me by my best friend Kate, and I love having it right in front of my computer monitor to remember to pray for her sweet little girl, Madeline - who is fondly nicknamed Little Bird.

Mr. Flamingo was part of a fundraising/protest effort. Cafe Hon is a Baltimore icon, and was forced to take down its two-story flamingo as part of some new sign ordinance. So they filled the lawn in front of a government building (the size of a city block) with pink flamingos, and were selling them for $1.50 each. Gotta love Mr. Flamingo.

And there you have it! I'd love to have it much more open and full of empty, soothing wall space, but when you work in 5 feet of space, you make do. I keep myself surrounded by photos of loved ones, comics, and lovely photographs.

Now time to try out those desk exercises - hah! (More to come on beating the 3pm slump!)