Everyone has experienced it at some point: Some days the schedule is so full that you think you won’t have time for a lunch break. Instead, you eat chocolate and potato chips or fast food at your desk. That doesn’t have to be the case. Five tips for healthy snacks when working at home, for example, are given by two nutritionists from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (BIPS) in a short video that can be found on the Occupational Health Management (BGM) website. The tips includes, for example, drinking one to two liters of water or tea daily. Otherwise, the body is dehydrated more quickly and you are more prone to headaches. The experts advise that the best thing to do is place a big jug of water on your desk at the beginning of the day. And instead of chips and chocolate, you should try to eat enough fruit, veg, and nuts as a snack. Nuts keeps your brain cells on their toes and supply your body with important vitamins. A small portion every day is sufficient. And very important: if possible, don’t eat whilst doing other things – try to set aside time for eating.

BGM Offers Short Exercise Breaks

Short breaks and walks in the fresh air sometimes work wonders when you want to recharge. “A few minutes are enough to revitalize body and mind,” encourages Alexandra Baumkötter from BGM at the University of Bremen. For those who find it difficult to exercise on their own, Alexandra Baumkötter and her team offer a weekly online “moving break” at the workplace with guided short exercises: “We invite all university employees to take part every Tuesday and Thursday,” she says. The program always starts online at 11:45 a.m. and only takes 15 minutes. No registration is required. You can find the access link directly on the BGM website.

Cooperation Project Enables Better Handling of Stress

In addition to daily exercise, the psyche also needs good care. This is because a high level of psychological well-being has multiple effects: You feel mentally and physically healthier and are therefore also continually more efficient. Good mental well-being includes, for example, finding a way to deal with stress, working in a structured way, setting boundaries, and not being constantly distracted by incoming e-mails, meetings, or phone calls. Easier said than done.

Online Workshops and Videos on Mental Health

A collaborative project between the Welcome Center, the BYRD (Bremen Early Career Researcher Development) center, and the BGM has brought together a large collection of tips and strategies on how to better structure your breaks, or develop strategies for focused work. You can find them on the BGM website under “Mental Health” and on the BYRD website (“Healthy Working Life”).

“Our workshops are a low-threshold offer to deal with topics related to motivation and mental health in a casual setting” Julia Holz, Welcome Center

The Welcome Center also offers a free English-language impulse workshop series on mental health in collaboration with BYRD and BGM. The two-hour online workshops are led by external trainer Dr. Nadine Binder. ” They are a low-threshold offer to deal with topics related to motivation and mental health in a relaxed setting,” says Julia Holz from the Welcome Center. German-English videos have come from the first series of workshops, in which Nadine Binder gives tips on avoiding stress, better work organization, and setting boundaries in everyday working life. “We are pleased that we were able to realize this project in the past months,” says Marie Sander from BYRD. The videos are not only available on the BYRD and BGM websites, but also on the YouTube channel of the University of Bremen. The next workshops will take place on March 2 (Staying Focused), May 4 (Time Management), and June 1, 2022 (Mastering Communication).

Alexandra Baumkötter and her cooperation partners are continually working on expanding their health services for university staff. It’s worthwhile checking out the BGM website regularly.

You can find the dates of the next impulse workshops on mental health and other Welcome Center offers here.

BYRD offers for PhD students can be found here.