Are you having a spectacularly bad day at work? Feel like throwing your laptop against the wall or kicking the photocopier to death? Calm down. Inflicting injury on defenseless office property may sound like a good idea now, but you’ll only end up feeling twice as bad after. What you need is a bit of time to get in touch with yourself, and meditation is a great way to do that. Not sure how you could get into the right state of mind at the office? Here are a few tips:

1. Clear your clutter.

Clearing your mind is the first step to mindful meditation, but having a cluttered environment may make it hard for you to do so. After all, how can you concentrate on your breathing when your table is a huge mess? Before you even close your eyes, take the time to de-clutter your workspace. It’s a pre-meditation ritual that may prove to have surprising therapeutic effects.

2. Keep a meditation playlist on hand.

According to PsychCentral, listening to music, “especially slow, quiet, classical music” may help you relax. The sound of waves gently rolling on the shore or a waterfall cascading from a high mountain, typically considered to be meditation music, may also reduce stress.

3. Use aromatherapy.

Planning to spend another late night at the office? Take advantage of the dwindling staff and fire up your burner with your chosen essential oil. According to The Aromatherapy Bible, rosemary, cardamom, or basil are mentally stimulating and would work well with uplifting scents “such as bergamot, orange, or rosewood, and with a balancing essential oil like geranium.”

(Photo by Jim Mead via Flickr Creative Commons)