Bad day at work? 15 ways to switch your mood

1. Get some exercise, even if it is just a walk. You may feel like slumping in front of the TV, but the best
   

   Green and Blacks yummy choc

   thing to do is get moving. Exercise will release endorphins and make you feel better.

2. Go to bed early. Sometimes it’s just better to finish the day early and get some sleep. Have a warm drink, snuggle up and make sure it’s very dark. Tomorrow will be a better day.
3. Get hugged. Whether it is your partner or a friend, get some physical contact. A hug will always help. If there are no people around, love your pet. I’ll bet they will love you back.
4. Buy some expensive, high quality, yummy food and eat it with relish (and no guilt!). If you buy a small amount of luxury, it will make you feel good – as opposed to truckloads of cheap, sugar-loaded food. I am a fan of Green & Black’s organic Darker then Milk chocolate which you can buy in 30g bars.
5. Have a bath (if you live somewhere with no water restrictions!). Fill it with bubble bath or aromatic oil and relax.
6. Get a massage. Pay for a professional and you won’t regret it. During the massage, concentrate only on the physical sensations and forget all the troubles of the day
7. Talk yourself up. We all have inner self-talk and a lot of it is negative and can bring us down. Notice what you say to yourself, and be kinder. Write down some positive affirmations and carry them with you. Look at them when you feel down.
8. Go dancing, either with friends or go along to a club. There are all kinds of dancing classes available now and you will find you relax more and can groove your cares away.
9. Sing. It helps – really! Karaoke is a fantastic way to feel better. Belt out some early Madonna, or thrash your head to some rock. You may need a drink to loosen the vocal cords first.
10. Laugh. See the dance class above. You can’t help but smile when attempting to salsa! Get a funny movie out.
11. Phone a friend and catch up. Don’t moan and don’t focus on the bad things. Just catch up and be grateful for the friendship.
12. Plan your next holiday. Dream it and Google all the things you would do with unlimited money.
13. Breathe deeply. Sometimes your stress will be so high, you forget to breathe which holds in all the tension. Let it out with long, slow breaths.
14. Thrash a punch-bag at a boxing class. If you can exhaust your body and get all your frustrations out on the bag, you will feel a whole lot better!
15. Listen to happy music. Make a song list on your ipod for when you really feel down. Make it happy and uplifting, positive music. Cheesy is sometimes best in these situations. Some of my favourites: Christina Aguilera – Soar, Wilson Phillips – Hold On, Survivor – Eye of the Tiger, Chumbawumba – I get knocked down

If this day keeps repeating itself, ask yourself why and write down 5 things you can change so you are not still repeating this day in 6 months time.
Take massive action and make sure this situation changes.

Losing weight if you are at a desk all day

Thursday is safety cake day. We have a meeting about health and safety and then we get cake. I can resist if it is the orange one, or even the carrot cake – but the chocolate one is too much. So I go to a spinning class beforehand (45 minutes of extreme stationary cycling) to assuage my guilt.

On this topic, it might be a while until we get the vertical desk – so here are some ways to lose weight at work. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/05/15/pl.fatdesks/index.html

·         Wear a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps per day.

·         Use any opportunity to get moving. Walk over to co-workers for a brief chat at their desks rather than messaging them via your computer.

·         Log your food intake – studies show that you lose more weight if you monitor what you eat

·         Stop drinking soda and fizzy drinks – they are packed with sugar

·         Stop having sugar in tea and coffee

·         Leave your shoes at work and wear trainers to encourage walking

·         Walk at lunchtime

·         Start an exercise group for support.

·         Have a health and fitness competition at work with some decent prizes

·         Find a local gym and go before or after work

·         Be encouraging, support others and they will support you

·         Take your own lunch and healthy snacks

·         Drink more water so you don’t confuse hunger with thirst

·         Campaign to get fresh fruit in the office instead of a chocolate machine (or safety cake!)

·         Use chewing gum to get you through the difficult moments

None of this is rocket science, but it is hard to do. I know as I have been avoiding these things for years! I am a member of the 3.30pm sugar high club! I am now tackling this with a Chupa Chup or chewing gum. That little bit of sugar is just enough and keeps me away from the chocolate machine (unless it’s Thursday). You can do it too!