Hours in front of a computer are increasingly contributing to stress related health issues. Stiff necks, back problems, headaches, and carpal tunnel injuries are just the beginning of a long list of physical problems as result of sitting for hours in front of a computer with little change in body posture. The long hours of sitting are frequently complicated with chairs and desk that don’t physically fit much less ergo dynamically support your body. And if you are a production worker you are most likely using a computer that is strapped to your arm, or work a machine that is positioned in a way that requires you to twist your body repetitively in the same direction. Production work has been analyzed and job duties are designed to be done in a specific way that maximizes efficiency but frequently dictates repetitive motions using specific muscles over and over gradually contributing to structural imbalances.
Short term or immediate effects of this physical wear and tear on the body frequently can be seen on daily basis in slowed job performance, increased errors and irritability. Irritability can be seen in headaches, shorter tempers, intolerance of others as well as persistent complaining while you work to anyone who will listen. This is bad for company morale as well as leading cause of wasted, non-productive time at work. As time goes on the long-term effects of physical wear and tear can result in job burn out and in chronic health issues. And unfortunately, but realistically, chronic stress can lead to increased alcohol and opiate use as an ineffective and disastrous means of coping.
Companies spend a great deal of time and money training their workers. Employees are the number one resource in a company. To do nothing and to sit back and watch good workers, get stressed, frustrated, become less effective and possibly totally burnout is not good resource management. It is not cost effective. While there is no single big solution there are smaller measures that can be taken. Whether you are a big corporation or a small family run business, today’s companies are in a unique position to incorporate mini yoga stretch breaks into the work day as well as support yoga programs at or after work. Yoga can become a positive force, influencing employees’ health and well-being as well as improving the general morale of the company. A yoga program can become part of a benefits package that promotes a company’s reputation as a desirable place to work with a caring attitude.
Changing the hours in front of the computer or the way we perform physical tasks is not going to change so we must look at ways to alleviate the fatigue, alleviate the physical body stress accumulating in our muscles. Yoga incorporates balance. What you do to the right side you do to the left. Bending forward is counterbalanced with bending back, looking up, looking down, turning side to side. The slow release of breath in the exhale combined with movement allows for immediate release of tension and room for restoration and relaxation to take place. The body responds by slowing heart rate, lowering blood pressure and calming the mind. Muscles respond by softening, becoming more flexible, digestion improves, circulation improves. These are just a few of the many benefits of yoga.
Yoga is also about mindful awareness of stretching with the breath. The focus is on feeling the body and the breath moving together. The mind is the passenger witnessing thru feeling. This allows a brief respite of the constant pressure on the mind by job duties. After a few minutes of yoga, this setting aside of the mental working, allows the worker to resume their job duties with renewed energy and fresh perspective in problem solving. The aspect of mindful awareness that is used in yoga once activated becomes part of every aspect of how we think and interact with our world around us. Mindful awareness helps us to become better communicators as well as more considerate human beings. Both qualities that benefit the individual employee as well as the company as a whole.
For more information on how you as a company can develop a yoga program suitable for your staff contact Susan Fritz, RN