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Workplace Balance Ayurvedic Tips To De-Stress

Workplace balance tips below can save you. And using Ayurveda in your work space can create a better work calm and stress-less zone.

A kitchari meal with egg is an Ayurvedic balancing meal. Recipe below. 🌱

This article has the perspective of Ayurveda workplace balance tips for the Western world modern office that can be stressful. And no a disco ball like this one I worked in is not needed. 😉

Workplace balance doesn't always come with a disco ball like this office I worked in had.

Despite its window view and disco ball, this was a tough office environment.

If the work could have been taken outdoors in nature that would have been more calming. Or even a photo of outdoors can help calm.

An example of a nature image you could have at your office desk.

And help create a collaborating and harmony environment that’s beneficial for productivity. In political organizations that have management hierarchies, finding those ways are the keys to mind freedom and better work life balance.

Because office relationships drive the bus for your success.

If you’re brave or want to develop your personal leadership skills, getting in tune with your co-workers can be worth the time and effort.

Taking your nose off the work grind and looking up at what’s going on around you no matter how busy you are, can pay off and change the way you see your work.

It could be the difference between your work happiness or dissatisfaction.

Learning to live balanced in your personal life plus incorporating  Ayurveda workplace balance tips add up to your overall happiness.

Here are the 7 Ayurveda workplace balance tips to calm stress: 

The first 5 tips are to benefit you and your surrounding co-workers (that apply to you too if you’re the boss!). The last 2 are for your edge-up with your higher-up boss manager.

1. Meetings.  A subtle thing you can do is create a calm surrounding around you.

When you’re in inter-office meetings, bring your calming scents either in your coffee or tea mug, or wear subtle scents if others don’t have allergies that you’re aware of.

Beverage scent allergies don’t exist. Even people who don’t drink coffee don’t mind the brewed coffee scents, as they’ve gotten used to the aromatic smell.

Adding rose water in your coffee (…betcha that’s a slightly new one for you!) will help to calm you and the stressed worker next to you.

Match the desired beverage to the people you expect to be in your meeting.

You can also wear a subtle hint of patchouli or bergamot perfume scent.

…I know this can sound a ‘lil silly to be so coordinated. But why do you think when you walk into a nice spa or luxury hotel, the room you’re in smells so lovely and calming?

(The answer is, it changes how guests perceive their hotel property experience).

Being an ex-hotelier, I know the ways they try to win back return customers with subtle mood changers and amenities.

Scents help you and others stay calm and centered, and help to create a positive energy field.

On that note, keeping your smartphone in your pocket or a small bag from distracting notifications and silently vibrating phones can be what you need for a little peace moment.

You don’t see a phone in the yoga studio, so in the same way, you can treat your daily meetings with yourself like meditation breaks or an off-the-grid intentional focus session.

2. Your workspace.  At your desk, play calming music like light classical music if you’re allowed to have music or sounds running in the background.

Like white noise, you can drown out some of the unimportant conversations and noises around you.

If you play relaxing sounds like ocean waves that can be too relaxing, you’re likely to put everyone to sleep including yourself.

Invite your manager to have meetings at your desk or space so you have the “home-court advantage,” as they’re coming to you and you’re not interrupting them.

Before their visit and preparing for unexpected visits, be sure you have an inviting space.

3. Have visible calming props. Watercolors paintings or pictures are good, such as Monet lilies and you can easily find a variety of blank cards or calendars from a gift and cards novelty store, that you can frame or rest on your desk.

It’s a similar to Zoom backgrounds where there’s an unspoken ambiance that’s created.

Pictures of your life are good for you, but they are distracting to others after they’ve seen them the first few times.

Competitive Pittas especially are very visual people. Many go-getting office workers are Type-A Pittas, so they will tend to look at your calming image choices and your surroundings.

Some other balancing items:  bring in a perfectly round edible orange.

The California navel orange color and scent are good for calming worry-anxious energy.

And the scent from one fresh rose can soothe an angry-irritated mood. 💐

4. Take stressed co-workers out for tea or coffee. If you normally do lunch at your desk, taking a 15-minute break for tea or coffee with a co-worker is a good excuse to casually get to know them a little better.

If you’re short on time, bring them a new tea bag from home that they’ve never tried. For a Vata imbalance especially, this is going to be good and comforting, especially if it has cinnamon tones.

Next time you travel, find and collect unique souvenir treats that don’t have a short shelf life and you can offer up as a treat for “a better day.”

For a Pitta imbalance try bringing a lavender tea such as a lavender de-stress tea or a lemony flavor tea. Iced teas are good for irritated workers and even during winter, depending on their case severity.

For a Kapha, try a brisk Early Grey or If they love chocolate, bring them a piece. Chocolate is universally a happy gift. 😊

In a practical way, if you know that a co-worker is under a lot of stress or has recent demands in workload, then a stress-reducing tea is a thoughtful gesture.

You can also gift tea bags as a reason for conversation…  and a great way to make work friends.

I know you’re wondering, “well… how do you know what balanced or imbalanced dosha(s) your co-workers have?”

In general, you’re better off just sticking with the basics with what they’ve told you they like or you see them with.

Everyone has traces of all the dosha profiles.  And anyone can get imbalanced in any dosha at any time.

This is one of the core reasons why you can see a sudden mood or preference change in a co-worker when they say nothing is wrong as they may not know there’s anything different.

And why even if you’re paying attention and know what’s going on with them regularly, like with a cubicle mate friend that you visit often, you and they won’t always know.

And this is the same mysterious reason you prefer some foods, sounds, and activities now, that you didn’t like before.  And then this changes again. It’s all connected.

You can call it a different season or mood, but your internal mind-body is always happening and changing, if ever so slightly like a second hand on a clock.

Your mind-body is always keeping score, so it’s good to practice Ayurveda workplace balance tips, habits, and ways, both at work and home.

Your mind-body is constantly revealing information about yourself.

That’s why the insight coming from the body balance quiz is invaluable for anyone in any season, and those you care about who is willing to dive deeper (like your friends… as you’re probably not gonna ask your boss to take a quiz unless you’re also friends).

5. Find a common interest with a core work group. Book clubs and fantasy football are common.

When you have a hobby, interest, or passion that you share in common, that creates a calm mind space.

Conversation creates harmony for workplace balance.

When you think of these work people that have a shared interest, you see them as humans and not just workers.

In one of my jobs, there were a group of women who liked scrapbooking photo albums (I think the hobby is still around and some of us have recent albums as proof 📔).

One attendee to one of the gatherings was a boss so we became work friends. So the dynamic changed and work was a better place.

That ice breaker made me see her in a different light, even though we didn’t discuss our common hobby when we were working.

6. Create a clean space for your manager to walk into. Clean and organizational tidyness shows respect for your workplace (where you’re working on “rented land”).

But, DO minimalistic-ally personalize. If you don’t have anything sitting on or around your desk, then you may not be occupying enough real estate.

If you’re too minimalistic, you will leave no mark or brand of who you are. And your manager can think you don’t have enough work to do. There’s a workplace balance needed with decor.

When you’re out, others may use your desk and it’ll look different when you come back.

This happens a lot with an Executive’s open office that is free of clutter or any personalization. And that’s up to you if you want that to happen.

When you make your workspace your second home, by taking up a little space, you create personal worth in your mind and can blend and balance your work-life better. You’re not just another employee.

Chair Facing Tip For Office Balance

How you situate your chairs in your office space matters. You want to a create a comfortable feeling space.

When you situate chairs facing the front of your desk where you sit, you’re in the power seat.

Anyone coming to see you feels like a subordinate. If you want to be collaborative, then you want them to sit more beside you. And even more open, they can see your computer screen and from your desk perspective. Rarely do you want your back facing the door.

If your manager comes to visit you, if they choose to sit, often you’ll usually see them either lean back or forward a little hunched to show they’re relaxed.

They’re the exception, as they’re never the subordinate in your workplace even if you’re more collaborative like in the tech industry.

7. If you want to have a meeting where your manager is more relaxed, arrange meetings with them late in the afternoon. This is a good opportunity if they say, “find a time on my calendar.”

As humans, we all get more tired as the day rolls on. By evening, we’ve done most of the important or urgent tasks for the day.

Stressed out managers (and micromanagers) are people too at the end of the day.

They look forward to the end of a long day as much as you do despite how they may come across.

You may encounter managers who are unprofessional, have a bulldog personality, or sharp edge. We’re all different in the workplace. And the workplace balance is finding how we work best together..

If you happen to find yourself in a defensive situation, and you sense a manager has had a bad day or week such as by acting grumpy or having irritated imbalance tendencies, acknowledge that, offer, and ask, “how can I help?”

Don’t worry that they would give you a list. That most likely won’t happen, at least not without huge thought. That would require more trust than they are willing to put on the line with just a conversation.

If they give you a general request, then do what they ask.

And in the case where they come back with a tall order, that shows that they respect you, you’re competent and probably worthy of promotion down the road. Plus, you get to learn something new. So it’s a win-win for you.

And in addtion to these tips you can implement right away to create a calmer (feeling) space and workplace, you can create a balancing spice kitchari work meal with rice and lentils.

A poached egg that’s easy to do (or egg whites) in minutes ontop of a kitchari meal could be the lunch that hits the spot.

Print

Kitchari with Egg

If you want to add protein with your kitchari mixture of lentils and rice, adding an egg adds energy to your day. Coriander and cumin are cooling for Pitta balancing and ginger is good for digestion and Vata balancing. Black pepper enhances turmeric's anti-inflammatory effects and adds e a smokey subtle heat to the dish.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine ayurvedic, Indian
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

  • Ayurvedic spice mixture (coriander, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, ginger)
  • cooked lentils or mung beans
  • white rice
  • poached egg

Instructions

  • Cook your lentils and rice with spices.
  • Cook egg whites or poached eggs to top off your meal.

Thanksgiving Spices Healthy Rainbow Variety and Za’atar Recipe

Thanksgiving spices can include cumin, turmeric, and cayenne.

Thanksgiving spices are afterthoughts to the big day 🦃… after deciding where you’ll be, how you’ll get there, and even scoring the turkey food table star.

The weeks before Thanksgiving builds up anticipation. And even the day before, it’s still not too late to craft up an Ayurveda beneficial and spice-filled menu for a Happy Thanksgiving, created with an inspired rainbow color and variety tasty feast in mind. 🌈

That can linger on year-round after the holiday week has come and gone.

I’ll never forget the memories when I had family come over and there were very few recipe sites. Today, it’s completely different!

I still reference Martha Stewart. She used to have a television show… I don’t know if you remember or know about it, but I was a fan. 🎉

I’m still a fan, but the show has long moved onto YouTube and Instagram videos! But back in the day, my raving fan energy was elevated when I got to actually visit the live television set.

The crew even sent us home with one of the show guest’s cookbook… Clinton Street Baking Co. Cookbook (that has become a big deal in the Big Apple).

How did they know that was the perfect gift for moi? They must’ve known I was coming 😅

And that weekend, they opened up Eataly (the first in the U.S.) in the Flat Iron NYC district. Those were the days when I was working in marketing and event planning for a popular Spanish restaurant chain in my area (La Tasca owned by a large U.K. restaurant company). Some good foodie memories there 🍽 and so fitting for my attendance as I had spent years in hotel catering and restaurant food party planning.

This year, is completely different. Your Thanksgiving plans may have changed but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a meal that knocks it out of the park!  You can have punchy flavors using Thanksgiving spices you may not have considered.

And even in the Martha Stewart days, it was still traditional thyme and rosemary spices.

Since Thanksgiving is usually a home food event, so it’s a good excuse to crank it up a notch if you want, and maybe even try  different, healthy Thanksgiving spices that pleases your tastes and creative desires. And wows your family and guests. 🤩

I know you’re probably like this…  you have your favorite Thanksgiving foods and can be a ‘lil scared to try something new.

But I’m hear to encourage you to rainbow spice it up and I have some original blend ideas below!

So let’s go!

First, here’s a way to get your food senses heightened the week before turkey day (this Happy Thanksgiving). For starters, you can test and sniff your spices in your spice rack or cabinet. This will give you a week or two to get the ingredients you need as Thanksgiving spices become less potent or pungent.

And you can sit on which ones could work with you. Probably any of them, since they are in your cabinet. 😁

Remember, most Thanksgiving spices (and year-round spices) have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits (preventing free radicals that can spike disease/cancer growth), so whatever you use, you and your guests will be healthier.

Thanksgiving spices (ground or whole from seeds) and herbs (plants) can be the secret ingredients you add to a new dish. And how you can create your own spectacular eye-pleasing food art at the end as some have some pretty cool colors like purple and red. I love how spices and herbs have unique colors that you can find in a 96-Crayola crayon set.

Here are 11 Thanksgiving spices (listed in rainbow color order). I also have dish enhancement ideas from my party planning experiences below.

 

1.Red: Saffron (bitter, sweet pungent):

The thin strands are good-looking and tasting on ooey-gooey honey desserts. Did you know saffron is a mood lifter? …so if you have an imbalanced Kapha to feed (…maybe yourself?), this is an amazing addition.

Year-round: Add saffron to your seafood bisques and Manhattan Clam Chowder. It’s not just for paella Continue reading “Thanksgiving Spices Healthy Rainbow Variety and Za’atar Recipe”

High Acidic Foods and GERD Ayurveda Grocery List

GERD ayurveda grocery list

High acidic foods can wreak havoc on your daily gut-feeling life.

If you’re food shopping and trying to make choices for your grocery cart, adding a stomach-friendly GERD Ayurveda grocery list can enhance your eating life. Lowering stomach acidity and finding enhancing foods for balancing your body is fun, healthy, and sometimes what’s needed.

If you have a condition like high acid (or more severely GERD) in your stomach, whether you’re a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha (or have any of these imbalances), you’ll be interested in what you select for your refrigerator and pantry.

And, you’ve come to the right place for a list of safe foods to reduce GERD (or lower acidity) and increase balance (listed further below…)

Having a mix of fresh and pantry foods can give you a sense of calm, and especially if you have a backup supply of your favorite items because you leave any food comfort panic thoughts to rest. Continue reading “High Acidic Foods and GERD Ayurveda Grocery List”

Vata Body Mind Type: Is This Your Natural Way?

Vata body mind is a way to define a body and mind type. As a Vata, I know most of us are naturally thin and have worry tendencies.

Vata body mind type

Are you a Vata?

If so, this article post is all about you. And if you don’t know what a Vata is, you can discover more below.

You have several identities in this world.  I’ll share a few of mine…

Some are fun. You know those personality tests you can take (to learn about yourself and your friends).

Well… in the self-taking Enneagram test, I’m most closely a 7.  We’re the happy enthusiasts.  …Hoo-ray!

Maybe that’s why I created this place for others to glean off of my happy aura 😊.

By the way, all the Enneagram types 1-9 are great (you’re still a complex individual and have potential traces of all the types). If you’re not familiar, Enneagrams are based on your general life motivations.

Any one enneagram type is not better than another, but I like to cheer mine on (and be happy for the happy type). As an Enneagram 7, we’re known to be the optimistic and positive people in this world.

This makes sense because I naturally gravitate without hesitation towards life’s pleasures enjoying beauty, fashion and gourmet foods.

…Which makes people that know me wonder, how I can be so deeply spiritual?  I think of this combination as my superpower…  being in this world, but not entirely of this world.

On the outside, like all of us, I’m just a person having a daily spiritual journey.

I found better answers inside from life’s challenges and life’s non-answers. In other words, in the silence.

I was actually born 90% Vata. “A who?”, you may ask if this is new to you.

That’s right, I identify as the Vata body-mind type in Ayurveda.

There are 3 types:  Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We all possess traces in varying degrees of each of these types and any of us can get off balance (irritated, anxious, lethargic, etc.) from these types.

Today I’m just focusing on the Vata type…

As a Vata, most of us are naturally thin or slender.  A Vata can eat and eat and eat, and gain little weight.

There are people you hate or envy because of this (not really… but you get my drift).  On the flipside, Vatas have thin bones and usually a more sensitive body.

We can take a warm bath and still feel cold especially in the winter.

Each body type has special features.

Another for Vata is, we epitomize the saying, “cold hands, warm heart.”

Our skin and hair stay on the naturally dry side.  We use deep moisturizers and conditioners. And adult eczema can arise that’s manageable.

Outside of appearances, the Vata body-mind type naturally holds onto worry and anxiety. An area that I did not care to hold onto so I learned to transform.

In pure Vata fashion, we naturally bounce from task to task (sometimes too much), as multi-taskers are our middle names. We also prefer variety as the spice of life.

We have or like more than one type of any product or food type.

Based on all these descriptions above, I’m 100% Vata.

You learn in life though, you adapt to situations and can balance or counterbalance any natural body type, especially with all the resources and great products we have in the world at our fingertips.

So why am I sharing all of this?…

Because I believe you have a choice to make changes in your life for the better.

I wanted to get up 10 times while writing this, but I forced myself to stay put. I also wanted to wonder what you would think reading this. I chose to not worry about anything that’s not helpful, and just be productive despite natural tendencies because I learned the better way.

But I still care about feelings and how I come across with thin skin, that I learned to toughen up over the years and through life’s situations.

There’s a part of me that still wants to be the reserved person who doesn’t want to share who she is, but I put myself out there anyway as I know I can help others.

I challenge myself to be fearless. Because I know that there’s no personal growth without bringing light to weaknesses, and places I’d rather suppress.

Then I see dynamic people in this world and I couldn’t even begin to do the things they do in their physical abilities and skills.

And I naturally want to believe they are happy.

But they’re not, inside.  And despite all they have.

They weren’t wired that way. But I was.

They live on what they know and their comforts. That’s not better or worse, it just is.

They have a choice to change parts of their lives if they choose.

As we all have choices relative to our lives and opportunities.

As long as we support one another as humans, and don’t judge one another, we can learn from each other and grow.

And that can be the greater world we are becoming in collaboration efforts.

If you’re a Vata (or think you’re one from my description above), high five and a big hug to you. I get you.

We naturally have anxious tendencies that can show up in the form of overwhelming feelings, heart palpitations, or nervous butterflies in the stomach.

You don’t have to live that way, as a regular way of being based on your thoughts and situations you can’t control.

I know this from my own learned past experiences.

Without anxiety awareness, you’re putting on a band-aid to calm the symptoms.

Breathing deeply and drinking plenty of water are super important habits to help soothe anxiety.

If you think you have anxiety in your life, confirm with this quiz, and get quick restoring tips and ongoing healthy and happy life balancing tip advice.

You too can change what’s not fully working. (Let it be easy… why live another day not being or feeling like your whole self?).

We live in an evolving world that changes whether we want it to or not.

…And there are lots going on.

But, I believe each of us can get ahead of anxiety and learn to manage and prevent anxiety in a healthy way.

Each situation is a teacher and a chance to find a remedy.

The statistics show our depressed society is growing.

Most women in America and maybe the world, don’t currently do or take the time to learn how to live healthy and happy in life’s busyness, despite all the resources available.

And, that’s where I hope I can shed light with my positivity, encouraging vibes, and sharing self-transformation lessons to help in this cause.

I encourage (and challenge you) to be your change for your life’s happiness.

You can learn all about the Vata, Pitta, and Kapha in this in-depth balancing mind-body article which btw, as an example I’m dominant in Pitta mind (in addition to a Vata mind) to add fuel to the fire.

And very likely, you have more than one dominant mind type. That’s what makes each of us complex, unique, and alike in this life. It’s as simple and complicated as that. 😊

 

 

Anxious vs. Irritated Feelings in Your Mind and Body

feeling anxious or irritated

First of all, why care if you’re feeling anxious vs. irritated?

Because you will use different healthy ways to combat and soothe each.

Anxiety can be based on fear, worry, feeling (or being) attacked, threatened, stuck, or overwhelmed.

Irritation can come from situations you encounter or people who do things that offend you.  Or if you’re in an environment that frustrates you.

The easiest way to tell the difference if you’re anxious or irritated is by your bodily functions.  The body tells the story truth.  It expresses with your being balanced or imbalanced.

The Body – Are you anxious vs. irritated?

One of the easiest ways to examine if your body feels anxious is if you’re constipated.  I know that’s a strange way to start a topic, but many anxious people suffer from this regularly. Continue reading “Anxious vs. Irritated Feelings in Your Mind and Body”