Everyone being able to see a marked improvement in their working lives in terms of ambience, communications, and stress, will mean a positive shift in the spirit of an organisation.
Our surroundings affect our wellbeing, with untidy, neglected workspaces impacting us far more than we might think. Clutter it seems has a negative impact on us, increasing our cortisol levels, which our bodies produce when we’re stressed. I’d argue a messy desk bothers some more than others!
Changing what’s going on around people will influence their behaviours. Our physical environments do matter to us on an emotional level. What we see and feel can lift us or have the opposite effect. Spending so much time at work in what can feel almost like a second home, why would we want our workspace to be anything else but welcoming, clean, friendly, and full of life. By making a few simple changes, the tone and even air quality can be altered for a healthier, optimistic atmosphere.
According to Marie Kondo, whose mantra is to inspire the world to choose joy by tidying and organising – being more organised at work will make us feel happier. So, whether your idea of that is tipping the crumbs out from your keyboard or streamlining your pen collection, it’s proven that taking an orderly approach is good for us. Improving your working style with an organised, simple, neat workspace reflects back on us. In Marie’s opinion, when we care for things they us give back positive energy, so any item or space that is treated with respect and gratitude, whether at home or at work, becomes a relaxing and energising ‘power-spot’.
A Quiet Space
The ancient Chinese principle of Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway) is the art of arranging physical objects to strike a balance with the natural world, decluttering spaces to make way for abundance. The belief that the way objects, like our desks, are placed in an office will affect the flow of life force, known as chi. Anyone within a space where energy can flow easily will feel a boost of positivity.
The addition of natural elements like indoor plants to purify the air; daylight; and fresh air to an environment can enhance wellbeing for those within it. This is because there are energy fields all around us, all the time. If your spaces have good Feng Shui, the atmosphere is thought to be nourished, and everyone will be able to feel the benefits.
It’s not always possible to re-arrange an entire working environment of course, so creating a peaceful, harmonious space for employees to go to and just simply ‘be’ for a while will help to refresh and re-energise them throughout their busy shift. You could encourage people to get creative and add their own little touches like photos, positive mantra pieces, or their favourite plant.
A healthy space like this might feature:
A Snake Plant. This particular plant is unique in its quality because it’s one of the few plants that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen at night, making it an ideal air purifying plant for bedrooms and other night time settings as it can help regulate healthy airflow round the clock.
Himalayan Salt Lamps are aesthetically pleasing, giving off a soothing tone of light, but have plenty of functional benefits too. They will cleanse, deodorise, and purify the air, and balance electromagnetic radiation given off by computers, TVs, and mobile phones by constantly releasing negative ions into the air. This is thought to improve breathing for those particularly with allergies to dust and other foreign particles.
Bringing any kind of life into a care home in the way of nature brings a message of hope and continuity along with it. Watching fish in an aquarium is said to reduce feelings of anxiety, and this practice is used for stress therapy and meditation exercises because of the hypnotic effect, calming us down in as little as five minutes. The same principle applies to stroking a loving dog and other pets, lowering our blood pressure, and calming the mind whilst we show our affection.
So why not try helping everyone at work to find calm, peaceful moments in their busy days for the good of their health, and the mood of the workplace.
