How to Edit and Not Lose Your Mind (or Break Your Back)

Hi all! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time. *reaches for wine bottle* Just kidding, but not really lol! These are some truly wild times we’re living in but we will all get through this together. It has to get worse before it gets better, right? I’m so thankful that Elle and I are still able to work remote as most of what we do can be done pretty much anywhere with the exception of our shoots.

I personally have a lot of photo editing to get done in the next couple of weeks so I thought it would be the perfect time to write up this blog post that I’ve been meaning to get done. In our partnership, I take care of all our post-production which usually means endless hours of sitting in front of my laptop editing away our photos. I have basically accepted the fact that I will probably acquire carpal tunnel and most likely develop some sort of neck and back problem.

I mean, maybe I’m exaggerating but I do really want to strain the fact that it doesn’t have to be that way. I think it’s really important for photographers to not only think about how to be better creatives but to be actively working on taking care of our bodies and minds as well. We can’t do our jobs if we’re not at our best mentally and physically. With that being said, I’d love to dive right in and share some ways that you can practice healthy habits when retouching for extended periods of time aka how to edit and not lose your mind (or break your back.)

Practice Good Posture

Ok, this is a big one. I know I’m 100% guilty of always slouching or putting myself in the worst possible positions when I’m editing. It’s hard I know but having good posture is extremely vital when editing for a long period of time. If you don’t practice sitting upright or make sure that you are doing as much as you can to keep your body in a comfortable neutral position, you will definitely feel the effects over time.

Yes, I’m talking about that back and neck strain and pain in your wrists and forearms. It’s not fun. Therefore, I highly encourage everyone to actively work on your posture. This includes sitting all the way back in your chair, standing upright as much as possible, making sure that your feet are flat on the floor, checking your knees are in line or slightly below your hips, and that your shoulders are relaxed.

If you’re working from home (assuming most of you are at this time) try to work somewhere that allows you to sit properly (desk or a kitchen table.) The last thing you want to do is sit somewhere like the couch or a bed where you will likely sink or slouch more easily. Help your body out, it will thank you in the long run.

For those of you who want to fix your posture for good, you may want to check out this really cool product I discovered last year called Upright Go. It’s a training device that you wear on your back that helps you adjust your position as soon as it recognizes that you are starting to slouch. I’ve been eye-ing it for quite some time now. If any of you get a chance to try it, let me know!

Take a Break (We Mean It)

This habit is just as important for so many reasons. Sitting and editing in front of a computer/laptop for an extended period of time is not good for you. Actually, doing too much of anything is not good for you haha. What’s that word? Oh right, moderation! Taking a short break is super necessary to keep you going. By not doing so, you are overworking your body and mind which then leads to sore muscles, eye strain, and overall physical discomfort. When it comes to your eyes, practice the 20 x 20 x 20 rule.

For every 20 minutes, take a moment to stare at something that is 20 feet away for a total of 20 seconds. This helps reduce eye irritation, twitchy eyelids, and a growing headache from staring at your screen too long. When it comes to your actual body, take a 5 minute break every 60 minutes of work. You can stretch or walk during this time and give your eyes and body that much needed rest. Taking these breaks will also help increase your blood flow, get you out of staying in the same position, and alleviate long-term body and mental strain.

If you’re more of an app person like myself or just don’t want to always remember to create alarms or set timers, there are plenty of apps out there that remind you to take breaks. I personally like the app “Take a Break” because it looks nice and the alerts don’t sound like my morning alarm lol! The app is available for both mobile and desktop. However, the free version currently only features the 20 x 20 x 20 rule so make sure to unlock the pro feature to get alerts for the other type of break (5 min per hour of work.)

One more note on this: If you’re a night owl like myself, investing in a pair of blue glasses will help you combat eye strain and help improve your sleep.

stretch it out

As you now know, you should absolutely be taking a break and standing up for at least 5 minutes for every hour of work that you are sitting down. I know what ya’ll are thinking. But how am I supposed to get anything done if I’m taking so many damn breaks? Well friends, that short 5 minutes of stretching or walking won’t disrupt your process. In fact, it will help you work more efficiently since you’re less likely to have brain fog and won’t be as easily distracted. If you skip out on your breaks, those precious eyes will quickly feel strained or you may develop a crappy headache.

No one wants either of those and having those two combined is deadly. I tell you this from experience. So what can you do during this quick 5 min break? Plenty of things. Take a walk, meditate, stretch, practice breathing exercises, or do it all. I personally love to stretch because it gives me a chance to get my body moving. In my desk drawer, I have a printout of some exercises that I can do right at my desk.

However, even a walk around your office (or home since most of us are currently on lockdown) is super beneficial. Anything to get you out and about to refresh your mind and body. Earlier today, I actually did a quick 10 min stretching video from an app called Obe. You’d be surprised how many quick videos or apps there out there that can help guide you in stretching, meditating, or breathing.

One of our dear friends named Lina of Only Child Design, whom we had the pleasure of hosting for an Adobe Live stream not too long ago, created a book with some friends called Mondays Moves. She was kind enough to gift us this beautifully illustrated book that contains daily office stretches for feeling good and working well. The whole wellness routine takes about 5 min. No excuse for that break now huh?

Stay Active and Eat Healthy

Lastly, this healthy habit is more of a long term one. Staying active and eating healthy is a no brainer but if you’re anything like me and you hate the gym and love dessert, then you know how hard it is haha! But we all know we must do it. Now I’m not saying you have to change your lifestyle completely. I am simply suggesting you incorporate small ways in which you can be active and eat well.

For example, I love my coffee. Sometimes I drink up to 2 or 3 coffees a day and what ends up happening is I forget to eat because I’m consuming so much caffeine. I know that too much can make me a bit crazy and more then likely I’ll get some sort of eye twitch that will bug the crap out of me when I’m editing. So, maybe I need to take a step back with the coffee. I could drink one cup a day and focus on having green tea for the remainder of the day. That’s way easier and more achievable than quitting cold turkey right?

Here’s another example. I really hate the gym and I almost never have any motivation to work out. With that being said, I know that when I do finally get my body moving, I always feel so much better after a good workout because I had a chance to stretch, engage my muscles, and alleviate my stiff neck and back pain from all that editing. I personally am not a fan of going to an actual gym and I discovered recently that I prefer doing dance classes instead. Sometimes it’s about finding what works for you and your lifestyle but as long as you’re moving your body and eating right, you’ll help relieve all that stress and tension in your body from retouching for long periods of time.

One additional note or lifestyle suggestion: If you can afford this amazing luxury, please go get yourself a massage. It is like the best thing in the world and you’ll honestly feel like a new person after.

So there you have it, people! I am 100% guilty of not taking my own advice sometimes but I am working on it. I am doing my best to incorporate these healthy retouching habits into my life and take them more seriously now that I’m older and starting to see the effects of all my slouching and sedentary activity (le sigh…) Don’t do what I did haha! Practice good posture, work on taking breaks, move that body, stay active by choosing some sort of activity in your daily life, and eat well.

By doing so, you will be the best healthy version of yourself which will allow you to be productive with your photo editing and not screw up your muscles. Let us know if you’ve got any tips or healthy habits we should know about.

Is is the weekend yet?
Arabela