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.

The Gist of The Matter

We may not have met in person. We may not have shook hands – and if we ever do, I like a good firm, handshake. If we haven’t high-five'd, I like them just like that. High. No low fives and definitely no you’re-too-slow-fives that the youths of America jokingly initiate. 

However, we have met here before. Therefore, I think it’s a safe platform that I can bypass the weather and go straight into a heart-to-heart (or fist-bump to fist-bump if you prefer) discussion and delve into a not-so-secret secret. Ready?

I like to paint. I like to create beautiful imagery. Sometimes I use pens. Sometimes I use pencils. But in circumstances such as this, I depend on a keyboard and upon the connectivity between two screens.

You see, I like to paint pictures for people where the medium is words, not acrylics or watercolors.

But after pouring my attention, my spine and sometimes my water over the keyboard to develop every detail into bringing to life the pepperonis of a pizza shop, restoring the chipped paint of a dilapidated warehouse, or helping fill the cavity of a toddler’s on his first visit to the dentist, I need a break.

I need to lift my head slowly (so as to avoid whiplash), and for all those in with any physiological background, I do indeed crack my knuckles at this juncture.

When I come up to breathe from this self-induced, word-constricting comma, when I look up from my own Wonderland, I acknowledge April’s thunderstorms and the thunderclouds. I see the leafless trees, the muddy walkways, and I see the soggy grounds. Also, all of this has a major impact on my soles; the soles of my shoes. Subsequently this impacts my wallet.

Because I am a realist.

Here’s the gist of the matter:

Suppose I shove away from my desk on my wheeled chair when work ends and head out on a gray, stormy day.

Then, like an incompetent baker who can’t crack eggs, the clouds break open and the water sloshes on me. And what appears to be only me. Even though this isn’t really true. I am wet, but onward I walk.

Ahead a gentleman is getting in his car, shaking out his umbrella as he begins to collapse it and back into his sedan. (How does the general population accomplish that feat so elegantly? So inconspicuously?)

As I approach closer, he calls out, “Hey, I don’t need this anymore! I’m obviously heading out. You can have this-”

“Oh thanks, but I couldn’t. Are you sur-”

“…for 20 bucks. Even.”

“Oh, um, I only have $15 on me.”

“I’ll take it.”

Sold.

And that my friends is the gist of the matter.

• As a realist, I acknowledge that this person is taking advantage of an opportune moment. It’s very economically advantageous of him.

• An optimist individual might give him the benefit of the doubt thinking this person is attempting to make some much-needed money for his family, even pulling out the emergency $50 from his or her wallet.

• A pessimist doesn’t buy the umbrella because he or she assumes it doesn’t work. Actually, a pessimist may never have left the office because, “Chicken Little: The sky is falling!”

The gist of the matter is we’re going to encounter rainy days. (Quite literally, now that it is April!) The clouds will crack open from above us. There will be puddles. So eventually we will have to go through them.

It’s how we go through them that matters most.

The gist of the matter is we’re going to get muddy. It’s a fact. But even mud is good for our skin, right?

Glasses Of Life

It all starts because we have a vision impairment.

We get asked if we have really have vision impairments or if the glasses on our faces are a fashion statement or accessory.

No, they are a necessity.

And when we wear them:

• We have to wipe the fog off when it’s warm or wet

• We get lost behind a veil of smudge. Don’t let any sales rep tell you differently- they are not smudge proof.

• Once we wear them, we have to stay committed to them all day since they ruin our makeup.

• We suffer injury on the bridge of our nose

• We can’t lie in bed on our sides to read

• We have a constant, pinching pain behind our ears

• We feel them slide down when we bend over

• We feel them slide up when you lean back

• We learn the hard way they are not foot or butt resistant

• We are expected to let everyone try them on

• We give ourselves whiplash as soon as children are placed in our arms so they can’t grab them

• We lose them and then sometimes we have to replace them even when they aren’t lost at this little inconvenient thing called an annual check-up.

But when we wear them all these things matter not, because we can read, walk without tripping; we can stop (we may choose not to) at red lights and we can experience life with our vital fifth sense.

And so goes the same with the glasses of life.

When we wear the metaphoric glasses of life, we are enabled to see things clearly. It may be through listening to a friend, slowing down, speeding up, traveling abroad, staying at home, thinking outside the box.

The pain that comes along with it, like the smudges, are worth it when what we envision from afar is suddenly close. When what was near or far sighted suddenly becomes a tangible success.

It’s just a matter of if you’re willing to wear the glasses. You see, when a vision impaired individual slips on their glasses, they do so knowing they are being compared to the trendsetters.

When the envisioned impaired decide to challenge themselves and wear the glasses of life, they might be compared to the trendsetters of life.

Speed up, slow down, travel abroad, stay at home, think outside the box: Others may be doing the same, and you may be called a copycat. It doesn’t matter because we can all look at the same thing, but what we see won’t be the same thing.

So, no matter what people think of you or say, never let the smudge keep you from wearing your glasses. Never let a vision impairment keep you from seeing. From living.

Introducing the Worx Girls

How well do you know us? We bring our personalities with us, and you can always count on meeting the authentic Worx team. We embrace each other’s differences and help fill in the gaps of weaknesses with strengths to create a close-knit, un-breakable, one-of-a-kind team. I spend more time with these girls a week than with anyone else. Let me introduce you to…

Our fearless leader, Laura:
She’s so brave; Braver than I can fathom and I think the other girls would agree with me. The things she gets herself into blows my mind. She’s involved, motivated and dedicated to the many roles she plays. She’s mother to Kandon, age 6; wife to AJ; sister and friend; Creative Director of Worx Graphic Design; creator of The Green Couch Project; President of the American Advertising Federation of Greater Frederick; a member of Business Networking International; the Greencastle, PA Chamber of Commerce; as well as the Hagerstown, MD Chamber. Some of her non-professional titles would include athlete, interior designer, accountant, professional organizer and party-planner. She is a visionary and loves to brainstorm with our clients to help take their ideas to the next level as well as building their brand from the logo –up.

The web guru, Amber:
She’s the introvert of the group. She is also the healthy-inspiration member of Worx. Her healthful vegetarian lifestyle has inspired all of us to explore juicing and running 5K’s. You should see the vegetables this girl eats (even her daughter, Morgan snacks on peppers and cucumbers!). Her usual days of “plugging in” with headphones and designing websites are (almost) free of distractions. Her daughter Morgan joins us in the office a few days out of the week. Her off-the-scale cute factor makes up for her threenager mood swings. Amber’s patience with her is very admirable. Amber can say that she has a genuine fear of public speaking and will go to great measures to avoid it. Her addiction to Etsy and Pinterest are evident off-the-clock. She is the expert of website design and with her Masters degree in branding, she writes our proposals to clarify the goals of the project.

The Word Master, Momina:
The newest Worx girl may not be a designer, but she definitely thinks like one! How many copywriters have a “logo inspiration” board on Pinterest? Her vocabulary and writing skills are phenomenal, and she loves a good play-on-words. She knows how to put the personality of a business into their materials, as well as brainstorming with the team on advertising strategies. She is the fashionable one of the group and inspires us all to look a little more like our Style inspiration boards on Pinterest. She is a Twitter master, tweeting more fluently than some birds I’ve heard. Sitting across from her playing peek-a-boo over our giant computer screens has added to my experience at Worx in the past 9 months.

Then there’s me, Collateral Kassie:
It’s hard to believe I’ve been here over two years, but I feel like I’ve known these girls for my entire life. Whatever I’m doing – brainstorming, collaborating, coaching, designing – I’m passionate about and give it my 100%. I’m over-enthusiastic and have an unnatural obsession with glitter and sparkly things. I’m even wearing a shirt as I write that deemed me with the nickname “sparkle pits.” I love to dance and party on the weekends but love also just relaxing in a hammock listening to reggae. I love to create materials consistent with the company’s brand and tend to handle rush projects well. I enjoy helping a client meet a tight deadline; they are always grateful.

Our differences and similarities make for quite the chemistry of team members. The office experience we live everyday is one like no other. Our company culture creates an environment for personal and professional growth. This makes work fun, life enjoyable and clients happy.

Happy Birthday America!

We here at Worx just celebrated a birthday, so we’re in a very festive mood - and there may have been cupcakes involved. Now we are getting ready to break out the stars, the stripes and the red, white and blue.

The sparklers, the fireworks, the glamour, the picnics from sun-up to sundown and beyond; this is the beauty of our nation’s festivities.

Celebrating a birthday doesn’t have to be a public event but every birthday is a milestone and a blessing and should be a cause for inner merriment. Yes, merriment.

So even if you’re busy, are scared at the potential sound of popping balloons, perhaps feeling like a bah-humbug or are not a big spender on yourself, fear extravagance or fear the spotlight, here are a few ways you can stop to reflect on a birthday – be it an anniversary event or your own special day:

-       Eat a cupcake - as aficionado’s of this delectable, we know a lot about this topic.

-       Buy a present - it doesn’t have to be for yourself; you’ve been given life, and the momentum of giving should continue.

-       Dress up – dress in your best sweats if that’s your fashion statement, just enjoy primping even if you’re lounging around the house.

-       Spend time outdoors - no matter the season, the cycle of life continues

-       Intentionally schedule a few minutes for self-reflection – It’s as simple as prayer, journaling, absently staring at the ceiling, sketching a scene from memory or perusing old photography.

-       Accept invitations - appreciate those who throw you a party, host a dinner and picnic or invite you to celebrate in a national holiday (hint, hint)

No matter how much we like to take time to wander it’s true when J.R.R. Tolkien writes; it doesn’t mean we are lost. However many of us will find that celebrating a birthday, our nation’s birthday and enjoying the sparkle, the hotdogs the ketchup stains; all is heightened because of friend and family.

Be safe, be responsible and don’t forget the glory behind the red, white and blue!

Happy Birthday America and thank you for inviting us to participate in your celebration.

Let the festivities begin!

Be Thankful.

What if you woke up with only the things you were thankful for yesterday? Don’t wait until November to appreciate all of your blessings.

We all have days (or weeks) when it feels like the world is crashing down around us, but there are still many aspects of our life to be thankful for, hidden due to the overwhelming stress added onto our daily lives.

Below are a few questions to ask yourself:

Think slowly and answer thoroughly. Don’t skip or dismiss any of them. By the end, you will have a healthy list of things for which to give thanks. Knowing and feeling like your life is blessed and full of things to be thankful for will come back ten-fold and spread like wildfire.

1)    Who loves you?

2)    Who/What made you laugh?

3)    What compliments did you receive?

4)    What tasks did you accomplish?

5)    What food nourished your body today?

6)    Who were the positive people that you interacted with today?

7)    What physical tasks were you able to complete today that others could not?

8)    What were you able to buy with the money you are fortunate enough to have?

9)    What was the most peaceful/relaxing moment of your day?

10)    At what moment of your day was someone else dependent on your time and talents?

Perhaps write these down and start collecting varying answers day-to-day, and soon you will see that your life is full of things for which to be thankful.

The things you take for granted, someone else could be praying to have.