after developing sciatica, I'm big on standing and short movement breaks. Keeping the blood flowing attacks the physical consequences of sitting still, staves off mental stagnation, and champions better self care, overall.
Stand up Against Sitting Down
lay anything soft, but not slippery, under your feet. pair that with anything that encourages you to shift your weight (or even challenge the muscles in your feet).
♥ a folded over yoga mat*
☺ towels, rugs or blankets
☺ book, bin or yoga block
☺ tennis, softballs or dog toys
☺ foam body rollers
*BONUS: it's quick to roll out a mat under foot for a quick bit of movement
☺ towels, rugs or blankets
☺ book, bin or yoga block
☺ tennis, softballs or dog toys
☺ foam body rollers
*BONUS: it's quick to roll out a mat under foot for a quick bit of movement
Ruche up Your Wrist
scrunchies and other fabric wraps can support your mouse and tablet hand.
♥ follows your arm as you move from tablet to mouse pad, no matter what angle your desk is set up for.
☺ quick to put on and take off
☺ cheap and multi-use
☺ comfy and adjustable (band size, material, position, colour, thickness)
☺ quick to put on and take off
☺ cheap and multi-use
☺ comfy and adjustable (band size, material, position, colour, thickness)
BONUS: if you put scrunchies on both of your hands, you might not be able to hit your keyboard shortcuts, but you'll look and feel like a strange, medieval protagonist.
Swap Tool Varieties When You Can
give your hand a break if you're using a tablet and pen often. Be aware of how tools sit in your hand, then consider mediums that allow a different grip, workflow or even body movement.
♥ thick sticks of pastels, charcoal or conte (for figure drawing) or even crayons and pastels
☺ other wide or chunky tools (Copic, Crayola, Pentel NN50, General's Sketching Pencils)
☺ wide brushes, water brushes and calligraphy ink brushes
☺ sketching with your non dominant hand
☺ starting from mid-tone or black paper
☺ collage using photography, paper and other mixed media
☺ other wide or chunky tools (Copic, Crayola, Pentel NN50, General's Sketching Pencils)
☺ wide brushes, water brushes and calligraphy ink brushes
☺ sketching with your non dominant hand
☺ starting from mid-tone or black paper
☺ collage using photography, paper and other mixed media
place self-care objects in view
to encourage you to actually pull them out and use them, give a high-visibility spot by your desk to water or a set of exercise tools.
☺ resistance bands
☺ tennis ball or dog toys
☺ squishy hand/stress ball
☺ long stick or yoga strap
☺ muscle relief cream
☺ tennis ball or dog toys
☺ squishy hand/stress ball
☺ long stick or yoga strap
☺ muscle relief cream
♥ written notes or reminders to move and take breaks
leaving useful things just out of reach
setting up a dynamically ranged workspace with purposefully involved, but not cumbersome, placements
♥ garbage can under your desk or around a corner
☺ reference books across the room
☺ coffee on a side table
☺ scanner on a low shelf
☺ reference books across the room
☺ coffee on a side table
☺ scanner on a low shelf
and that's it for this post, with plenty more to come in part II.