6 Ways We Counteract Stress With Fun

Ever watch a movie or sitcom and think, That! That apartment or office space is what I want. But it’s so unobtainable, even on our pay raise budget. However, how is that the broke roommates combined budgets they can afford this New York façade?

Sometimes when you look at all the pretties and the throw pillows and the original Pac-Man arcade in the living room accompanied with a fire pole from the top floor to the living room, it’s hard to focus on how cool it is to have a fridge that turns H20 into solid form. It’s like magic. One moment it’s liquid, the next it’s frozen solid.

But then I take inventory about the days I reply busy, upon being asked, how was your week? I think about the level of my alleged stress and think of all the sitcom worthy features that are happening here at Worx.

And it’s not a façade. It’s real. It’s how we counteract the beginnings of stress with fun:

• We Don’t Dine and Dash. (Or dine at desk.)

Food and eating are a social experience, and so it is a privilege that we have designated areas AWAY from our desks where we intentionally take 30 minutes to eat as a team.

• We Trade in Our Office Chair for Massage Chairs

Once a month we have a licensed massage therapists Ray (whom we refer to as our Ray of Sunshine) come to our office with a massage chair to help relieve some tension. It’s a great opportunity to step away from the sedentary position.

• We Take Field Trips

Remember the clips about how many people they could fit in VW bug? Well, we like to play a similar game. How many Worx Girls can we fit in Laura’s vehicle? And then it’s on the road again. Whether it’s a few miles down the road or a trip worth having a playlist, we understand the value of blowing the Popsicle joint and going kayaking.

• We Celebrate The Good News and The Good Days

Launch a new brand logo or website? We make some impromptu noise! Someone has a birthday? Bring on the celebratory cupcakes! If you haven’t followed us on social media, that's a good place to stalk our sugar addictions and live out loud lifestyle!

• We Spread the Company Culture

Whether it’s through food, hand written note cards or end-of-year appreciation gifts, we love showing our love! You know all those jokes about friends trying to alleviate the pain in one part of your body by punching or slapping another area so that becomes your focal point? It kind of works! By focusing outward, we build others up and learn that relationships are more important than our hardships.

• We Throw Things

No, we don’t emulate Greek Plate Smashing Wedding Ceremonies, but we have stress peanuts and cows, complements of our clients, which we use responsibly and tastefully to throw at 0.0005 mph at each other’s bodies, desks or office walls. Every day our target improves, and our cause for throwing these cushy, inanimate objects is more aligned with the five other stress-inhibitors. 

So whether it’s as simple as decorating our desk with accessories that express our personality – like the frame of Dwight Schrute on mine – or a day when we get to wear sweatpants, all Worx and no play is not how we roll around here. We work hard, but we know how to have fun. We counteract stress with fun.

Stop to Celebrate

Too often, we find ourselves working day-to-day, finishing to-do lists, completing a difficult task or wrapping up a huge project just to move quickly on to the next item on our list. Being busy, non-stop, hyper-productive, it feels good right?

When you think about the word “busy,” what comes to mind? Do you often use it to describe your schedule? Your workload? Your entire lifestyle? Think of using the word “busy” as the equivalent to purposely giving someone the busy signal. Describing yourself as busy can make you seem inaccessible. Instead, challenge yourself to use more accurate and positive synonyms. Below are a few examples:

- Blessed with many projects

- Fortunate to have numerous ongoing clients

- Not boring (that’s my favorite!)

Not only does it have an optimistic spin on the term “busy,” it also serves as a conversation starter. Busy feels like a door being shut; a positive phrase seems like an invitation to hear about the on-going excitement!

Within these bursts of productivity, make sure you find time (schedule it if you have to) to celebrate an accomplishment and/or milestone. Just stop for a few minutes to reflect on the success of the project. What worked? What didn’t work? What are the strengths of the project and what did you learn in the process? What will you do differently next time? What goals will it help you ultimately reach, and what recognition could this bring to you and your company?

Acknowledging your accomplishment and, ultimately, progress in your personal and career goals will help to re-motivate you to keep going. That confidence will increase your productivity so that you can continue to improve and succeed during your exciting and fulfilling schedule!

Mulligan!

In a friendly round of golf, sometimes a player gets a free shot when they make a really poor play. In the game of life, sometimes there are days where you just don’t feel the mojo. There are many reasons – unusual chaos, feeling unwell or just having a creative block.

The good news is that there is always tomorrow.  Tomorrow is a day with no mistakes in it yet. It is a brand new start where you can take better care of yourself, do something relaxing before starting your day and stay focused to be the best version of you.

For me, it is sleeping in my workout clothes so I can reboot with a morning run. Those 30 minutes are MINE. It is the road, the rising sun, the crisp air and my thoughts. There are no emails, responsibilities, and no one to answer to. Once I get to work, the first thing I do is look at/make a to-do list to set goals for the day. The hardest part is getting started.

Just because you trip doesn’t mean you have to fall over. There will be things that take longer than anticipated or don’t go as planned; you have to be flexible and roll with the punches. While learning from mistakes is important, it is equally important to move on. Keep a record of your accomplishments and celebrate your wins. Nothing feels better than to check something off your list of to-dos.

Even if you jog most of the way, you will want to race to the finish line. In your last hour of the day, think of ONE thing you can do to make things easier the next day. Make a list of goals for the next day, reply to those lingering emails, and make the most of that hour. If you are hitting a wall, push through and remember what is waiting for you at the finish line.