5 Things To Keep At Your Desk To Help Reduce Your Stress
You feel your heartbeat rising, and you’re starting to sweat. Your thoughts are racing and you can’t decide whether you want to scream, write a scathing email to your co-worker, or just put your head down and cry. You are paralyzed in a moment of extreme office stress, and all those yoga classes are coming up short when trying to remember exactly how to inhale for a full four seconds.
Stop.
Reach into your desk and pull out one of these five toys and tools to stop anxiety, rage, or just plain old (evil!) stress:
1. Fidget Cube
Small toys, no larger than the palm of your hand, are having a moment. Look around a room of small children and you might see them tapping, clicking, or rolling a small cube in their hand. These toys are specifically designed to calm your nerves and mind when stress strikes.The Kickstarter campaign created to fund the business raised an incredible $6.4 million, which is evidence of just how many people are interested!
2. Spinners
Similar to the fidget cube, spinners are small objects that you can discretely play with while in a meeting or at a desk. Every one of the top 10 best-selling toys on Amazon in May was a form of the hand-held toy. Research has found that it's very helpful for people concentrating for long periods of time or for someone who is feeling anxious.
3. Stress Ball
Yes, a good old stress ball still does the trick. Squeeze it, dig your nails in, and let it be the victim of your stress instead of your desk mate.
4. Tooth Brush
Taking a break to brush your teeth has several benefits. The scent of peppermint is cooling and energizing. You can distract yourself from the source of your current stress by focusing on flossing and brushing. You get well-deserved alone time and you return feeling at least a little refreshed and revived.
5. Essential Oils
These small, potent liquids scents can quickly change your mood. My favorite brand is Young Living, and I rely on oils like Stress Away and Lavender to stop stress in its path. Simply drop a dot on each wrist and inhale!
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Samantha Shankman is a freelance business reporter and writer whose work has appeared in CNN, NBC, Travel & Leisure, Skift and Mic. She's also helped develop content for large lifestyle brands. You can follow her Twitter at @SamShankman and see more of her work at samanthashankman.com.
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