Stress Fact:
Did you know that during high-stress situations, the pupils dilate similarly to how they react when you see someone you are attracted to? This dilation is a natural reaction our body makes when trying to gather more information about the situation.
Now you can practice your information-gathering ability by reading about the ways our Influencers deal with stress.
As April is Stress Awareness Month, we decided to survey some of our employees to learn their favorite ways of dealing with stress, both in and out of the workplace. While we received many unique answers, we discovered some overarching themes and therefore feel equipped to prescribe some foolproof activities you can do to relieve stress. Here are some of the themes we found:
Exercise
Courtney – Sports Leagues
“One of the best ways I’ve found to relieve stress is by joining the many social sports leagues around the city. It’s a great way to stay active while also meeting new people and keeping yourself distracted for a couple of hours. They say physical activity is one of the best ways to relieve stress, so why not do it while enjoying drinks and fun with friends?”
Jackie – Barre3
“Barre3 embodies ballet barre, pilates, and yoga. I have a difficult time disconnecting from work, even while I am out of the office. During the hour at Barre3, it is hard to focus on anything other than your muscles shaking and your breathing. It allows me to escape my thoughts for an hour each night and focus on working my body instead.”
Gabrielle – Running
“Given the city we live in and the pureness of a ‘go-cup,’ it would be hard not to say wine! My real drug of choice gets me high, frees my mind, and makes me feel invincible. I have a sign on my desk that says ‘Running, cheaper than therapy.’ You have no idea. When I run, I completely zone out. There’s this separation between mind and body, and at that moment every worry is erased. Somewhere between the self-inflicted pain, mental discipline, and solitude, running has taught me that I’m capable of so much more than I think. We all have bad days with unprepared meetings and condescending emails. You’re lying to yourself if you never thought ‘I’m not cut out for this’ or ‘I’m tapping out.’ Stress is meant to challenge you. Whether at work or on a run, there is no better feeling than overcoming what you thought you couldn’t do. Since stress will never get easier, you have to get tougher.”
The Arts
Mary – Glass-blowing, Painting, Photography
“I was really drawn to working in online marketing because of the very changing nature of the SEO environment, so my hobbies end up being sort of similar in that they are ever changing. I do glass blowing occasionally, but I’m mostly a photographer and painter outside of work. You can find my photography all over our website (banner photos, team building event photos, and headshots are all by yours truly). I like hobbies that keep me busy and learning. I do watercolor portraits of couples and portrait photography that focuses mostly on headshots and engagement sessions.”
Shaye – Illustration and Design
“I like to multitask and push myself to always do more. At the same time, I’m a high-stress person with lots of anxiety. It helps to come home and satisfy my need to be productive by doing something that I love. For me, that’s illustration and design. I draw doodles, just whatever I want really, and it’s relaxing because I don’t feel like I am wasting time (which often stresses me out more than being busy!) but I’m doing something I want to do—and it’s just for me. I really like making patterns especially because it can be kind of hypnotizing. Funny enough, people have started to notice my illustrations and design work, and they like it. So that’s just an added benefit. I really only do it because it makes me happy!”
“Biking”
Kiersten – Bicycling
“Whenever I’m stressed at work, I like to listen to really dramatic but upbeat music, like Tears for Fears or Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root 🙂 I’ll also grab a conference room to get away from people and really focus. I’ll go for a bike ride during lunch. Outside of work, I like to bike to the river or the bayou to de-stress.”
Shane – Motorcycling
“There is nothing better for stress relief than the wind in your hair, the world flying by with no frame and the exhilarating feeling of freedom you can only get while on two wheels. How do I de-stress? I ride my Harley as often as possible, generally every day year round.”
Media
London – Reading
“When I’m feeling a little overwhelmed at work, I make sure to take at least 15 minutes to unplug from everything and catch up on reading. I’ve been reading for fun ever since I was very young. (I was always grounded, and reading was the only fun thing I was allowed to do!) But even now, 20 years later, reading is the most relaxing and convenient way to de-stress.”
Rafiq – Music and Gaming
“The way I usually get rid of stress is by playing drums and video games. Drums let me get a good workout while I’m also creating music. With video games, it’s fun to dive into a world, learn the game’s story, and be challenged by whatever monsters or bad guys you meet. I also write, sometimes about video games and other times just for my own personal portfolio. This lets me channel my frustrations onto paper by building or developing characters and writing out interesting plots.”
Jared – Gaming and Music
“When stress and work pile up on me in the office, I like to tune in to some relaxing video game instrumentals to turn my work into a literal adventure. Outside of work, I can actually play some video games to unwind or kill time in between other activities such as reading and working out. Springtime air is enough to relieve anyone’s stress.”
Conclusion:
As you can see, our Influencers provided some great answers that contain overlapping stress-busting techniques. The ways they cope with stress reveal how eclectic and interesting these Influencers are! Some key takeaways we’ve learned are these: try anything, integrate multiple initiatives, and continue to be productive. Do things you LOVE in order to fight the stress from things you LOATHE.
And remember, stress is foreign to no one! We’re all in this together, and together we can beat stress!
Tell us: how do YOU fight the stress in your life?
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