CREATING
“ME” BREAKS
Smoking breaks revolve around making time for yourself. Just because you no longer smoke, doesn’t mean you can’t keep taking time for yourself throughout the day. Once you know how best to use this time, you'll look forward to your "me" breaks every day.
1. Get your game on
Challenge a friend to a game of chess or checkers. There are tons of online apps to choose from. If online games aren’t your thing, bring a deck of cards or a board game to work. You can have an ongoing game that you play during your breaks.
2. Tea time
To break the coffee-cigarette habit, try a cup of herbal or green tea. Sipping tea is not only relaxing but also nourishing. Ginger tea contains anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea offers high levels of antioxidants.
3. Get in those steps
Reinvigorate your afternoon with a brisk walk up and down the office stairwell. Over the course of a few weeks, try to build up your momentum by increasing the number of times you climb up, then down. Before you know it you'll be ready to climb the stairs in Canada's tallest buildings. If stairs aren’t your thing, try stretching or going for a walk outside.
4. Guided meditation
Guided meditation is an effective relaxation technique and only takes 5 minutes at a time. It’s an easy way to enter a state of deep calm and eliminate stress.
There are numerous free apps available to help you get started, and you can meditate whenever it's convenient for you.
5. Be handy
Doing something with your hands not only helps replace the habit of holding a cigarette, it also can help you discover a new hobby or talent. Bring a sketchpad with you and give yourself 5 minutes to sketch what you see. Or try taking up crochet or needlepoint. Knit yourself something cozy.
