Do you ever feel like your mind is going into overdrive and you can’t seem to handle or control it?

We live in an era where everyone is competing in a blood sport to get our attention.

And let’s be honest, it’s crazy hard to escape the hustle and bustle.

Escaping our phones, emails, social media notifications, the kids, the phone calls, advertisements and messages is HARD STUFF.

It’s overwhelming and not to mention, it is mentally exhausting.

And unfortunately this takes a massive impact on our ability to focus and… in turn our productivity.

A friend of mine recommended Head Space; a guided meditation app that was meant to help calm the mind.

I was never really into the whole meditation thing. Sitting in silence with no movement seemed like a torturous thought.

But my friend ASSURED me I would see a huge difference in my mental capacity and I could control the constant turnings of my mind.

So I gave it a shot.

Every 10 seconds I’d lose focus of my breath and would find myself thinking of that email I needed to write to Joe, when Expedia’s going to have the best deals or where’s the closest convenient store to pick up a Kit Kat bar.

We all have weird thoughts okay…

I just couldn’t stop it.

But after taking a meditation workshop in October 2018 I learned something extremely valuable.

The goal of meditation is not to never let your mind wander. A successful meditation session is when you notice your mind wanders and learn to control bringing it back to the breath.

By practicing this technique often, meditation helps you cease your thoughts and focus on the present moment in everyday life.

By focusing on moment-by-moment experiences, I learned to train my mind to remain calm, even in stressful situations. Consequently, distractions are less and less likely to sweep me away.

Even a few minutes spent meditating regularly can make a big difference.

Recently one of our members offered to lead 30 minute free guided meditation classes on Fridays. The first week we started with 3 people words getting out pretty quick because every class is full now.

If you’re not yet a member at Coworkly, I highly recommend giving HeadSpace a try. It’s free, guided and you can try it anywhere from 2 minutes to 15 minutes. Heck, you can even try it for 1 minutes.

You and your mind won’t regret it.

I don’t know about you, but I, OFTEN, find myself dozing off around 2pm. The morning coffee is waring off, I’ve been plugging away at my computer since 8:30am, and my lunch is making me sleepy.

According to Dr. Sara Mednick, a psychologist at the University of California, and author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life,  she say “naps are good for most people.”

Her research shows a nap—defined as daytime sleeping that lasts between 20 and 90 minutes—can improve brain functions ranging from memory to focus and creativity.

“For some people, naps are as restorative as a whole night of sleep,” she adds. More research shows a quick nap can lower stress and recharge your willpower.

Not to mention, you just feel great after.

A break from all the demands a break from the screen, a moment to shut-off during the mayhem…. sounds like a sure win to me.

There’s a huge group of people who insist napping is a huge waste of time.

So instead about 40% of the population often reach for energy drinks, caffeine or other stimulants that perk them up but don’t recharge their cognitive batteries the way a short, healthy snooze would.

Want to give it a try?

If you’re a first time day napper, the trick is to keep your daytime shuteye very short—no more than 15 minutes at first.

This will prevent your brain and body from slipping into the deeper levels of slumber that leave you feeling foggy upon waking.

The last thing you want to do is disrupt your normal daily circadium rythm, our inner biological clock that keeps us on an awake schedule during the day and asleep at night.

So, if you’re feeling sleepy. Go for it!

That’s exactly why we have a murphy bed!

We’ve heard it time and time again, living a sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous to your health.

Sorry folks, but yes, sitting all day at your computer is included.

The truth is, Canadians sit for about 10hours a day.

Do you fall into that stat?

(YIKES! I think I sit for even longer than 10 hours)!!

The facts are out and honestly, they’re a bit scary.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look like a hunchback when I’m old and grey.

On top of bad posture, did you know that if you sit all day, you have a higher chance of being overweight, developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease, and experiencing depression and anxiety?

Here’s what it comes down to:

The less sitting or lying down you do during the day, the better your chances for living a healthy life.

So how do we do it?

Besides taking walking around every 30 minutes (which, let’s be honest would kill your focus), have you tried standing desks?

It was really something I never considered before starting to work at Coworkly.

But as I saw more and more members using them, I became intrigued.

So I interviewed those members. Got the deets and then tried it myself.

I slowly lost the rounding in the back (ehemm the hunchback look I was telling you about).

My head went from in front of my shoulders to above them.

And most importantly, I felt better. I had more energy.

And from what I can tell, I’m not alone.

Try opting for standing about about 25% of your day.

Crank the handle on your white standing desk and see what it’s like OR if you don’t have a standing desk, bring your laptop over to the standing up blocks along the pillars to change it up.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the magic it’ll work on your body every day and over time.

….  I mean unless you want to look like hunch back.