All Stressed Out With No Place to Go

Isn't technology great? It can help and it can hurt. This week on the ACT group in LinkedIn we have been having great discussions on multiple monitors. Everyone is raving how great they are for productivity. I heartily believe that. However, there is a downside called workplace stress.

Ergonomics is extremely important to alleviate some of this stress and strain. You can find out some great tips at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html and many more places. Two of the key factors are to make sure the placement of your equipment and furniture are correct to reduce physical strain. The second factor is to take additional breaks to release mental strain.

It is great that we have the all-in-one printers, multiple monitors, and document imaging available to us to create more efficient work flows. However, we still have to remember that we are now staring at a screen. Remember the staring contests when you were a kid? As soon as you were done, you would rub your eyes or blink a lot because they would dry out. With the frequency of the computer monitors, we don't blink as much as we should do naturally. We need to be aware of this and be looking away from time to time. We even forget to breath normally and that causes stress. Taking time to breath from the stomach and not your chest will invigorate your cells and help reduce some of this stress. Happy computing!