Healthy Computing

Healthy Computing should be a college level class now a days! Working at the computer for extended periods of time can wreck havoc on our bodies. Sitting too long in one position causes muscles to tense up and contract. The emotional stress you are under at work also plays a big part of it all. When the two are combined it makes for poor posture, back and neck pain, headaches, blurry vision, hunched shoulders, hip pain, hand/forearm pain, shoulder pain - you name it.

Healthy computing involves making yourself come first. Taking breaks to get up and stretch, get away from what you are doing is important.

The way your desk is set up plays a big part in working pain free. Your chair should give you good support and allow you to rest your feet on the floor. Your keyboard and mouse need to be strategically placed so that you can just rest your hands on the keyboard and mouse and not use your arms to hold your hands up. Sitting directly in front of your computer with your arms resting on the arms of your chair. While this is a beginning the biggest challenge is dealing with the emotional stress at work.

How often do you find yourself overwhelmed with too much to do and no help in sight? Office politics cause stress. Work relationships cause stress. These can be even worse because you are sitting at a desk and not moving. Animals in the wild when they are under stress will shake violently to get the stress out of their bodies and then sleep. If we could only do that!

Getting regular weekly massage or at least every other week is now a necessity to help combat the stress of working at a computer all day long. It can help relieve the tension that builds up in the back and neck, forearms and shoulders as well as the legs which you don't realize sit still in a contracted state while sitting. Getting a massage can also help you to relax mentally and emotionally to help you be more creative and centered in your work environment as well as home life.

Here is Microsoft's Guide to Healthy Computing.