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Surviving
in the Day (and Corporate) World: Tips, Suggestions, Techniques
In general, it's hard to cope with
a forced and active day schedule. But you can help keep yourself healthy
if you pay attention to what your body is saying to you and what it needs.
Proper rest, diet, and off schedule times are critical. You need to make
time for yourself-even if it's just a couple hours on a weekend-and have
fun. Go for a walk, read a book, do something for you. It makes
it easier to get through the rest when you're not so bogged down and miserable.
Migraines
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See my article for more details
about this. I suffer them all the time. Watching your diet, avoiding triggers,
and seeing your doctor are all positive steps forward.
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Beyond this, avoiding fluorescent lights whenever possible
helps me
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If you have to be in fluorescent lighting, then
bring in a normal, incandescent lamp for your desk. Just by having it on - even
if it's in addition to the fluorescent lighting, will help 'warm' the lights
and cut down on the strain, flicker, and green dis-colorization of your work
space.
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Also I make sure I wear grey-lensed, polarized sunglasses
when outside (esp. driving). The polarized lenses will actually block light from
certain angles, virtually removing glare.
Motion Sickness
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No reading in motion. That's a big one. Oh gods do I want
to just die when I try to read anything when driving or riding in a car.
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If not driving, perhaps either closing your eyes (and trying
to relax-nice, deep breaths) or alternately being able to see the road
(ie: from the front not the back) may help. Some people can't watch the
scenery pass while and must close their eyes while others tend to prefer
being able to have a mostly unobstructed view.
Waking early
Ugh. The worst of the worst.
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I don't have much to advise except of course, make sure
to try to get as much sleep as possible (I know, very hard when you
only come "alive" at night).
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I always went against medical advice and reverted to my "normal"
schedule on weekends-sleeping days rather then nights. Mostly, Dr's say
to stick exactly to your same schedule, but I could never do it.
See what works for you.
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WATCH THE CAFFEINE - especially if you're migraine prone. It
is a common trigger! You may need to wean yourself off (or almost off)
caffeine in the mornings (SLOWLY or they'll get worse!!) to limit the headaches.
Diet
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Make sure to take a high-quality multi-vitamin. (those designed
esp. for men, woman, etc. tend to be better focused)
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Make sure to get enough vitamin B12 - it's needed by your body
to help maintain metabolism.
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Try to supplement yourself in the day - especially at low blood
sugar times like 4pm-ish - with an energy bar or some other nice protein
snack. Nuts are another good one. Avoid just snacking on candy or chocolate -
they're
not enough long-term burn for your body. And, to function in what is "off"
hours to your body, you need energy.
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Make sure you're not suffering from hypoglycemia,
anemia,
or perhaps even a mild diabetic.
Blood tests will clear it up easily. (hypoglycemia is when your blood sugar
plummets without eating, anemia of course is a lack of iron/hemoglobin/red
blood cells in your blood, and diabetes is also a blood sugar condition - only,
it sways both too high and too low with that versus hypoglycemia)
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You may want to try to eat multiple small meals during the
day rather then one large meal at lunch. It's easier on the body and may
help you absorb and make better use of your energy.
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Also, there's no harm in a nap now and again. Keep it between
20-30 minutes. It's enough that you'll get a bit of rest, not too much
that you'll feel groggy and worse. (after 30 minutes you could get into deeper
REM sleep which would make you groggy)
Mind Over Matter
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Meditation and focused breathing techniques can also be a
wonder for you if you're stressed.
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Learning to step back, breath, and regroup yourself can dramatically
improve your ability to function - especially at higher levels - throughout
the day.
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Also, doing it before you sleep can help improve your rest
and increase your ability to make the most of your sleep.
Small Breaks
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Throughout the day, stop, stretch, stand, walk, whatever
you need to do to move yourself away for a moment.
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It's recommended that you move away from a computer screen
at least once and hour (and focus at something long-range for a few moments
to "rest" your eyes).
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I try to always make a point to force myself to walk to the
ladies room - whether I need to or not! - at least every two hours. It's a
chance to get up, move, and re-gather yourself.
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Take a 15 minute break (in addition to your lunch hour) in
the morning and the afternoon whether you smoke or not.
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Go outside if possible. Yes, it's sunny out there, but getting
some clean, unprocessed air helps.
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Getting out from the fluorescence helps as well. Moving and
walking help too. Breath, relax, close your eyes. You'll feel better.
Further suggestions, techniques,
and thoughts welcomed. Something work for you? Let me know.
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