5 Ways to Make Your Office Better for Your Health – 2024 Guide

Every adult spends between 40 and 60 hours every week in the office, and that accumulates to about 200 hours per month. The place where you work will affect your health, and unfortunately, in most cases, our jobs affect our health in a negative way.

To make sure you stay healthy, and to improve the overall wellbeing, you need to transform your office and make it better for you. If you want to find out how you can do that, then check out our list of ways to make your office better for your overall condition.

1. Calm your mind with the right atmosphere

It is said that stress is one of the biggest reasons for serious health conditions. Stress can elevate your blood pressure and that can lead to heart diseases and even stroke. If you want to protect your body and your mind, then you need to find ways to relieve the stress.

The first thing you can do is cancel the noise. You can use different types of earmuffs, or you can just put your earbuds in and listen to some calming music. Depending on your preferences you can listen to relaxing and chilling music, or lift your mood up with some dance beat.

When you can, get up and walk around. When you move your eyes from the screen you will notice how tired you actually are, so try to get up and move around at least once every 30 minutes.

If you leave the building for your lunch break, try to go on some short walks and take time for yourself. During the break, try not to talk to people or look at the phone. These things will help you distract your mind and they will relieve some of the stress you are feeling.

2. Breathe better air

We spend more than 40 hours in the same place every week. Some offices are located in high buildings and the windows cannot be opened, so they rarely get fresh air. The air can affect your health a lot, and if you are oxygen deprived you may feel lightheaded, you may get frequent headaches, and you may even feel nauseous.

Because of this, you need to improve air quality. In case you work in a place where you can open the windows, do that every morning when you get to work. Use the AC to filter the air, but remember that the filter needs to be cleaned and maintained regularly if you want that to have an effect.

The best thing you can do is to invest in a humidifier or purifier that will improve the overall air quality. If needed, talk to your boss or manager to invest in a device like that.

3. The way you sit will make a huge difference

This is the most important thing that will hugely affect your overall health. If you work a desk job, then you are probably sitting in the same position for at least 6 or 7 hours per day. When we do that, that affects our spine, hips, back, neck, and shoulders.

You may not notice it, but if you don’t sit in the correct way, you risk injuring yourself. The statistic shows that back pain and injuries are one of the most common types of injuries at our jobs. The sad reality is that not every company cares about the way their employees sit, and they will not do anything to improve your health if you don’t request it.

To protect yourself from disability, and to avoid any possible injuries, you need to get the right chair. As suggested by ergonomicshealth.com, reclining chairs will take the load off your back and they will improve your sitting posture. Always keep your back straight, and if you notice that you are crunching over the desk, put a reminder for yourself to sit straight.

You will notice the improvement in your muscles and your whole body last than a week after you change your posture.

4. Store your food and drinks in the right way

We eat in our offices every day, or even if we don’t eat, we drink the water. These things can make a lot of difference if they are not stored correctly. In case you eat food in your office, always keep it in the fridge, or even better, invest in a bag that will keep your food cold.

In case you cannot eat there, and if you are only allowed to have drinks with you, don’t settle for anything less than the best. Never drink tap water, but if you have to, get a portable filter. The best thing you can do for yourself is, get a special bottle that has thermal insulation. In that bottle store the liquid for the day. They will keep warm drinks warm, and they will preserve the temperature of the cold ones.

5. The whole space will affect your mood

Remember that there are a lot of things that will affect your mood and your health. If you don’t want to become allergic to dust, then you should clean your space regularly. Some places have their own cleaning services, but the people who are in charge of that will not touch the piles of documents you keep on your desk.

Make sure you always throw your garbage away, and never store food in your drawers. Let the whole space breathe so that you are not affected by dust or any insects. If it is an option, put plants on your desk that will produce oxygen and that will make you feel better every time you look at them.

These are some of the ways you can improve your condition, and you should always do things that make you feel better. Focus on the things you want, and remember that your health is more important than anything else. Opt for better food, drink a lot of water, make sure you sit correctly and try to do as much light exercising as possible. After you are done with your job, leave all the problems there. Try to take a nice, warm bath at least once per week, and if possible, get a massage at least once every two weeks. All of these things will improve your health and they will make you feel happier and more relaxed.