This Wednesday November 4th is National Stress Awareness Day, so here at CookiesHQ we are sharing personal tools, tips and rituals that we employ when workplace stress threatens to get too much.
Stress has a major impact on lives and minds across the planet, even in a pre-Covid world. There’s no denying that now with lockdowns looming, skyrocketing unemployment and restrictions on who you can hug, it’s more important than ever that we interrupt perpetual cycles of stress with kindness and self-care.
Of course, self-care looks a little different for everyone! Here’s how some of the CookiesHQ team handle stressful periods now that the lines between home and work life are a little more blurry…
Nat, MD - tidying & chocolate
I tidy up – at home and at work 
At home, the playroom is my go-to room, because it’s always messy and satisfies my need to order things by category (Legos, dolls, food/kitchen toys, animals, books, dressing up etc).
At work, I make sure I have a clear to-do list with realistic timeframes (ie not everything can and should be done today).
I also tidy up Asana and files in Google Drive, to ensure everything is where it should be.
I also eat unreasonable amounts of chocolate and when I’m really stressed I work in the evening (10pm-1am), when everyone is asleep, because that’s when I’m the most productive because nobody is around to disturb me.
Nic, CTO - eating then running
I eat. A lot. To the point that I could get sick 🙁
I eat a lot of crap.
And then I’m even more stressed because I’ve eaten more crap.
Up until the point I realise that actually going for a run is a better solution.
Denis, Tech Lead - a walk and green tea (coconut of course!)
Fenjan’s coconut green tea, followed by a walk around the neighbourhood followed by another cup of Fenjan’s. Lately, I’ve been also going to the gym and sweating the stress away.
Some evenings and weekend I take a trip to Densville, a bustling metropolis in the game cities skylines, As the mayor, I have control over the whole city and it residents, from garbage collection to minute details in urban traffic planning, it all just eases the stress away.
Finally, I get lost in someone’s world, whether that is through Books, TV, Movies or Code
Gemma, Client Partner - angry music & weights
Lifting weights and listening to angry music usually takes the edge off, followed by an extremely indulgent bath (bubbles, candles, essential oils – the works!)
I also like to escape into a Youtube bubble of unsolved mysteries as it helps keep my mind occupied.
Emily, Head of Marketing - spring cleaning & a dog walk
I find that stepping away from my desk, putting on some Sister Sledge and attacking the kitchen with a bottle of bleach does wonders for temporarily pulling me out of the stressful situation and offering a bit of perspective.
Plus, it feels productive because I’ve got a clean kitchen at the end of it!
If that fails, then a nice long dog walk usually does the trick.
Andy, Project Manager - compartmentalisation & music
I think for me one of the most important things is making little compartments in life for different things i.e. when I am not working not checking my phone for work emails or when I am work and taking a lunch break going and sitting away from the laptop to eat a sandwich and read a book.
When I am working I like to listen to music to concentrate and there are certain movie soundtracks that I listen to in particular to help with stress. Some of my go-to ones are the soundtracks from The Intouchables, The Motorcycle Diaries, and Babel.
Resources & judgement-free support
Being under pressure is a normal part of life, but when the pressure gets too much and your mental wellbeing suffers, there are plenty of resources and judgement-free sources of support available.
For more information and useful points of contact for dealing with stress in the workplace please check out the links below:
