Ever wondered whether the stress you feel at work might be caused by your surroundings and not actually the work you do? Think about it, on average you spend eight to 10 hours bound to your work desk every day and if you’re constantly working for that long in an uncomfortable environment then you’re very likely to be stressed and bogged down. So, now that we’ve helped you discover a probable source for your work related stress, it’s only fair that we give you some tips to help you deal with it. Here are some ways you could make your office space more comfortable and cozy and thus eliminate a chuck of that annoying sense of unease at work. 

Organize your space
The first step to making your office space feel more comfortable is by organizing your space. Although you might find it easy at the moment to leave the paper that has details of that meeting you attended yesterday on top of your desk, in the long run you are only making things difficult for yourself. Make a habit of filing important papers, throwing out the unimportant ones and just keeping things neat, tidy and clean in general at the office. This way you know where everything is, and your workspace looks fresh and clean, eliminating the unnecessary stress you would otherwise get from working in a messy surrounding.

You can also buy those colorful—or neutral colored if that fits your aesthetics more—desk organizers and use them if you find it too difficult to keep your things/desk organized and tidy for long. And while you are at it, work on adding some photos and little knickknacks in your space, which brings us to the next tip. 

Give your space a personal touch
Nothing will make you feel more comfortable and cozy than seeing things that are important and valuable to you. We’re not saying that you should clutter your office desk with every single valuable or sentimental item from your house, but adding a few things here and there will make you feel at ease even when you are at your stressful and demanding day job. These valuable items could be anything from a framed family photo or a card your significant other gifted you to a random sticky note your friend wrote for you or the picture of your favorite cartoon character. Have things that inspire and cheer you up around you and things will look a lot better even on a hectic day. 

Add plants to your desk and your cubicle
Adding a bunch of plants around your office space is another great way to make it more cozy. Having plants around you is known to boost your mood, make you more positive and increase your productivity. If you’re new to this (growing plants) then start out by buying a vase, keeping it at your office desk and adding fresh flowers to it every day. The following week, buy a small plant that is pretty easy to take care of—like a succulent—and tend to it for a month or so (or for however long it takes you to get used to it). After that you can work on expanding your collection gradually.

Manage the lighting
You could also make your office space feel more inviting by investing in the lights. This tip is especially useful if you have an at-home office space where you spend a lot of time working but you can also apply it to your office desk as well. Even though most offices only have overhead lightning, having an extra lamp will automatically make your personal (office) space more charming and calming too. You should pick the style of the lamp to fit the surrounding and choose the bulb for the lamp based on how bright you want the lighting to be. Another things to take into account is the height of the lamp and where you’ll place it—on the floor, on top of your desk, or somewhere else.

Add a scent to make things pleasant
You could make your office feel more cozy and comfortable by using different aromatic oils. Aromatherapy—the use of aromatic plant extracts and essential oils for healing—is known to have relaxing benefits and, what’s more, it also helps ward off harmful bacteria and viruses from your surroundings. You can diffuse an essential oil of your choice at your desk for this and leave it smelling fresh and pleasant the whole day. You should, however, be mindful of co-workers around you and confirm that none of them are allergic to the smell or oil you’re diffusing before doing so. Alternatively, you could also burn a scented candle.

Swap standard office furniture for cozier options
Most offices don’t provide comfortable chairs or desks for their employees. If you spend a lot of hours working at a particular place every day, you’ve definitely experienced some form of inconvenience because of the choice of furniture. You could choose to swap out these standard sets of furniture for something more comfortable if you have the budget to do so. If not, you could work on one piece of furniture at a time. Start out by replacing your chair, then the desk, then add cushions and throw pillows to your chair and so on. Doing this will definitely make a world of a difference.