Close your eyes, breathe and let go: How to reduce (end of year) stress
We all know that agency life can be stressful from time to time. However, this should not get the better of us, especially not during the holiday season, which should instead be a time of contemplation and reflection. Although we already have practices in place to promote relaxation at Laika, we still sometimes get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Therefore, a few of us, namely Fatma, Isabelle, Julia, and Lisa, decided to do something about it, and we attended the workshop “Do Something Good for Yourself: Effective Ways Out of the Stress Trap” from BUZZ! Academy. As an early Christmas gift, we would like to share what we’ve learned with you.
Why we stress
Usually, one has no problem declaring, “I’m so stressed!” While being aware of how we feel is always a good first step to tackling a problem, it may be worth digging deeper and determining why we feel stressed, and what’s triggering those feelings. At our workshop, we learned that there are a great number of triggering factors. Some stem from personal behaviors such as being a perfectionist, or always wanting to be more efficient and faster, or being a worrier, or constantly thinking about everything that still needs to get done. Other stressors may come from a lack of specific abilities that are needed to accomplish the task at hand. A lack of energy, motivation, and resilience can also be stress inducing as well as feeling tired or unwell.
The effects of stress
Regardless of where the stress comes from, it will have an impact on your life, as well as your health. A long time ago, stress was indispensable for our ancestors, whom in dangerous situations needed it to activate their fight or flee response. Yet, nowadays, we are constantly bouncing from one stressor to another without taking the time to calm down. This leads to various reactions such as difficulty concentrating, feelings of anger and uncertainty, and physical manifestations in our body such as headaches, cardiovascular issues, muscle tension in the short-run, and back and neck problems in the long-run.
What to do about stress?
Reading about the negatives of stress, may not have helped you relax, right? Fear not—there are certain things that we can all do to reduce our stress levels. First, think about what is stressing you out and ask yourself what can be done to alleviate that burden.
Pay particular attention to your body. If you feel your muscles tensing up, try progressive muscle relaxation, whereby you tighten the muscles you want to relax for about six seconds and then release all the tension and completely relax the muscle group for at least 15 seconds, before repeating this on the next muscle group.
If you are caught in a carousel of thoughts, maybe try “eye yoga” (as you can see in our picture in what looks like a hide-and-seek game!), which is a series of eye-exercises such as eye rotating and stretching which helps with relieving eye strain, improving concentration and calming the mind.
Other de-stressing options include autogenic training (a type of relaxation technique using self-affirming statements uttered aloud about heaviness and warmth for different parts of the body), breathing exercises, and meditation. Saskia, our training coach, mentioned looking for courses and training sessions on these topics, as these techniques can improve our health in the long-run, and some might even be covered by health insurance.
Starting small can go a long way. When you’re at your desk, and begin feeling tension in your body, just take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing releases endorphins, which have a natural calming effect. Taking short breaks can also be beneficial. Opening up to others and talking about how you feel can really help get some weight off your shoulders.
Not in the divulging mood? You can always talk to yourself. Stay positive, and be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself as if you were talking to your dearest friend. “You can do it. I believe in you,” is always a good place to start.
How about finding out more about yourself and your strengths, and receiving positive feedback through website resources such as The Happiness Researchers (in German)? Or writing an email to a future you, encouraging future you, and reminding future you to continue working on leading a more relaxed, stress-free life. Receiving this email, that you probably forgot you wrote, at some point in the future, is sure to put a smile on your face and boost your mood!
We hope these insights will help you as much as they helped us. Another big thank you to Saskia and BUZZ! Academy. We really appreciated the tips and have already requested including eye-yoga exercises in at least one of our weekly meetings.