Relaxation Techniques for Long time sitting on Desktops/laptops
For most office workers, being glued to their desks while typing away at their computers for an average of 8 hours a day is already a part of their normal routine. However, sitting at the computer/laptops all day may not exactly be good for the body, Whether it's for work or play, sitting at your computer for hours on end can lead to a myriad of health issues including neck, wrist, shoulder, backaches due to poor posture and other effects.
There are some simple steps that you can follow in order to improve your posture and keep your health in check. Do simple stretching exercises. Stretch your arms, legs, neck and torso while sitting. This will help prevent you from feeling stiff.
Neck
If you spend hours at a computer, you likely sit in an incorrect forward flexed position, with shoulders slouched, head drooped, spine arched and neck muscles tensed. Sitting in this manner leads to stiff and sore neck muscles.
To stretch your neck, slowly flex your head forward and backward, side to side and look right and left. This can be done almost any time to lessen tension and strain. Never roll your head around your neck––this could cause damage to the joints of the neck.
Wrists
When you pull your hand and wrist back to type on a computer keyboard, your wrist joint continues past its normal straight-line extension. This results in hyperextension and keyboard injuries called repetitive strain injuries, or RSI.
Roll your wrists regularly, around every hour or so. Roll the wrists 10 times clockwise, then 10 times counterclockwise. This will help minimize the potential for getting carpal tunnel syndrome if you spend a lot of time typing. Wrist stretches every 20 to 30 minutes can keep your wrists loose and help prevent injuries.
Shoulders
Computer users should take a few seconds for a posture break every 20 to 30 minutes. Scan your body to check that your shoulders are relaxed. Slouching, hunching and resting your arms on chair armrests can lead to muscular tension, nerve insult and pain.
Drop your arms at your sides and relax. Gently shake your arms, hands and shoulders for five to 10 seconds. Perform three to five repetitions.
Roll your shoulders forward around 10 times, then backward. This helps release the tension off your shoulders.
Roll your ankles regularly. As with your wrists, roll the ankles in a clockwise motion three times, then counterclockwise. This helps improve blood circulation, and prevents that tingling feeling you can get when blood circulation is cut off, also known as "pins and needles".
Calves
Stretch your calves. While sitting, lift up your legs on the balls of your feet and set them down. Repeat until your legs are comfortably tired. Repeat about 10 minutes later, and continue doing this routine for about an hour or so. This will exercise your calves, and will help prevent blood clots from developing in your legs. Blood clots are very common among middle-aged computer users.
Stand up every half hour to walk around a bit. This will ensure continuous blood circulation in your arms and legs, and will keep them from getting too strained. Take walks to the water station to refill your glass. If you can afford to take longer breaks, take a short walk outside your building, and use the stairs instead of the elevator to go down. Aside from giving your legs and heart a good workout, you can take in some fresh air as well.
Eyes
More than half of computer users experience eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and other visual symptoms related to sustained use of the computer. This type of stress on the visual system can also cause body fatigue and reduced efficiency at work. In addition, there are now indications that heavy computer users are at risk for glaucoma.
Give your eyes a break from focusing on your screen. Every 30 minutes or so, shift your focus from the computer screen and scan around other subjects in the room, such as a window, clock, desk, or door. This helps promote eye movement and lessens chances of eye irritation and headaches. Another technique to relax your eyes would be to rub your hands together, then place your cupped hands over your eyes.
Relaxing Eye Exercises:
Palming:
The palming exercise will teach you to relax your eyes, which in turn will bring healthy energy to your eyes.
- First, rub your hands together until they feel warm (about 15 to 20 seconds). Then place your cupped hands over your closed eyes, being careful not to touch your eyes with the palms of your hands. The fingers of each hand should overlap and rest gently on the center of your forehead. Don't create any unnecessary pressure on your face. If your arms get tired, rest your elbows on a table.
- Sit quietly for one to two minutes with your hands over your eyes. The more relaxed you become, the blacker the darkness you will see with your eyes closed.
This exercise improves eye flexibility.
- Hold your thumb six inches from your nose.
- Focus on your thumb.
- Take one deep breath and exhale slowly.
- Then focus on an object about 10 feet away.
- Take another deep breath and slowly exhale.
- Repeat back and forth 15 times.
This exercise helps you increase the flexibility of your eyes.
- Sitting or standing at one end of a room, let your eyes scan around the edges of objects in the room - clocks, televisions, doors, lights, computers, etc.
- The object of this exercise is to keep your eyes moving in a loose and fluid way.
- Do this exercise for two minutes.
- Remember to breathe.
Apart from these relaxing exercises, deep breathing and meditation can be significantly useful in alleviating office stress and enhancing concentration. Pranayama is a technique of breath control which can be practiced easily during office hours. The regulated breathing in Pranayama energizes the body cells and reduces stress. Meditation is a state of calm awareness, which helps provide clarity. The exercise can be performed at any time of the day for a few minutes.
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