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
This dog toy is shaped like three tennis balls in one, rolls nicely and is less than $20.
A tennis ball for rolling for foot, shoulders and even your chest.
A folded yoga mat makes for a quick, easy to clean and multi-functional base.
Dog toys have weird shapes and, if you have a dog, you might have a puzzle toy like this anyways.
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.
A selection of silky scrunchies on my wrist, which are specifically wide for longer or thick hair (and so won't smush my wrists,
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
Lead holders can expose more graphite, which lets you angle the pencil and use the sides more easily.
Sable brushes for watercolour and oils require very gentle movements.
Wide bristles allow for wide washes and impressionist stokes.
This brush is great for chalk pastel and other soft mediums, which is inherently different from digital.
This is a weird brush, you figure it out.
Birds aren't actually very helpful, unless you want your work shredded, but you can take breaks by hanging out with them.
Washi tape is great for decorating and even collage.
This tombow double ended brush marker barrel is narrow, but the felt tips let you work from an angle or other hand position.
This copic brush pen is very agreeable, and other brands can be refilled with cheap buckets of ink.
You will not draw anything with this symbol of "uncomfortable" controller design, but you might change your normal gaming/drawing grip while you use it.
A bucket of resistance bands, paint cream, a tennis ball, stress/hand exercise balls, along side some water.
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
A desk garbage can, on top of a basket of supplies underneath my desk.
BONUS: A pencil holder with miscellaneous supplies is what I would have here, if I didn't have a curious puppy.
and that's it for this post, with plenty more to come in part II.