How to Stay Healthy While Working in an Office

Posted on Tuesday, October 10th, 2017

The environment in which you do your co-op placement may be vastly different from the school environment. You may find yourself on a construction site, in a hotel, out in the field, or—in many cases—in an office.

The transition to an office environment can be jarring. You go from a school environment where your day is broken up between class, homework time, and free time, to a place where you sit at a desk for 7+ hours a day. That change can be rough on your health. To help you stay happy and healthy in your office, here are three tricks.

1. Remember to Take Breaks

In a busy office setting, it can be easy to get lost in your work for hours on end. With lots of different commitments and priorities, walking away from your desk doesn’t always seem like it’s an option.

But taking breaks is one of the keys to staying healthy at work. Sitting still for hours can wreak havoc on your body, so making sure you stand up and walk around is really important. Get outside if you can and breathe some fresh air.

While you’re walking around, stretch out those muscles! Avoid repetitive stress injuries by stretching any strained areas like your shoulders, neck, and wrists.

You’ll also want to think about your eyes. Eyestrain is a real concern if you’re on your computer all day, but there are some ways you can make it better. See a full list of recommendations here, and protect those eyeballs!

2. Try to Eat Well

In an office, it is very, very easy to become dependent on the nearest Starbucks/Tim’s/McDonald’s for your food and caffeine fixes. And while that’s all fine in moderation, it can become a problem—afternoon sleepiness, headaches, and hungriness are all downsides of eating fast food at work.

Thankfully, it’s easy to combat this. Eat a great breakfast at home, and start packing your lunch—you’ll feel so much better, and it’ll save you so much money. There are so many yummy things you can bring to work, you won’t even be tempted by the cafeteria. Here are 75 ideas for lunch to get you started.

Finally—and you know this already—drink lots and lots of water. It really, truly helps.

3. Learn to Manage Stress

Stress management is a huge topic that could really be the focus of an entire blog. But it is the most important aspect of staying healthy at work. Your mental health lies at the root of a lot of different symptoms, so managing your stress levels is vital.

Everyone manages stress differently, so figure out what helps you deal with it in a healthy way. Exercise, journaling, time management, meditation, and dozens of other methods are out there for you to explore. Once you build a robust system for dealing with stress, you’ll feel much better and get sick much less often at work.

Don’t forget that during your co-op placement, you are still considered an Algonquin College student. This means you have access to on-campus counselling services. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or are struggling to manage your stress, you can reach out here. They’re here to help.

With cold and flu season approaching, staying healthy at work is a big concern. But figuring out how to stay healthy has huge long-term benefits, too. Make yourself a priority, and you’ll find lots of success.

If you would like to learn more about the Algonquin College co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623. You can also follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop.


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