How do you relax quickly at work?

[Courtney]

I'm struggling here at work. We're currently moving a huge office from one building to another, and I've been packing steadily for nearly 2 weeks now. I've repacked the same shelving unit at least twice now, simply because other staffers think it's okay to refill it with stuff they don't want to pack. I've sent politely worded emails, spoken to supervisors and spoken to problem staffers myself, and nothing is working. Now, they simply wait until I leave the office for lunch and drop entire boxes by my desk for me to deal with. They got sneaky so now I can't go directly to the problem person.

Just now, I was called in for a chat with one of my supervisors about being "short" with other employees. I'm normally pretty even tempered, but I get very frustrated having to explain the same thing to 40 different employees 40 different times. They don't read their email, so they don't know what's going on. You have to hand hold staffers and constantly remind them to do things. I was "volun-told" to coordinate this move, so if anything goes wrong... the onus is on me.

So now, I need some help. How would you recommend that I de-stress while at work? I do take my breaks and go for a walk, and I take an hour for lunch just to relax. I'm just beginning to dread going because I know I'll come back to a giant stack of stuff no one wants to deal with, so they foist it onto me.

I have considered dismantling the shelving units so they can't reload it... :crazy:

Help?

 

[EnslavedByNinjas]

I find some good breathing exercises work wonders. Also just breathing in deeply, and as you exhale pick a part of your body and imagine that part of you relaxing (head, scalp, face, neck, shoulders, etc) and then move onto the next until you feel a bit better.

If you notice certain parts of you 'hold' your tension, such as my bad spot is my upper back and shoulders, stretching and relaxing that body part can help relax the rest of you, too. I just have to roll my shoulders and de-crimp my neck to feel a ton better!

Any sort of meditation couldn't hurt. A 5-10 minute morning meditation can last you all day. And you can always do a 30 second 'refresh' whilst sitting at your desk!

Hope this helps, that sounds like a 'fun' situation! :banghead:

 

[Chinniechantel]

I am sorry, that sounds terrible. I think I would just pack a lunch and stay there so they can't leave anything on your desk for the next few weeks! Or I would take apart the shelf unit and just say you are getting it ready for the move!

 

[Courtney]

Thanks! I carry a good portion of my stress in my arms, neck, shoulders, back and hips, it seems. I've been constantly sore for 2 weeks now, which I chalked up to heavy lifting and moving. My fiance has been giving me nightly back rubs (he's so sweet) since this debacle started, and while they help a bit... I tense right back up again the minute I walk into work. It's actually funny... I can have a blinding headache for 8 hours while at work, but the minute I walk out the door to go home.... it goes away. I instantly relax and my mood lightens. It's amazing, really.

I normally take my lunch at my desk, but have recently started to step away because I'm getting so very frustrated. I've found that when I eat at my desk, I don't get a real lunch break - if people see you at your desk, they think you're working and expect you to do everything for them. Often, I'll just take a bite of food and someone will come up, demand I get mail right that instant, make me photocopy something and expect me to answer incoming phone calls to cover someone else on their break.

I guess it's par for the course and I normally handle it fine... but I'm getting a little worn out. I'm keeping up with my normal job, packing, going to frequent meetings about this move, taking minutes, distributing them, passing the info on (40 times) to staff, helping another department because they haven't hired anyone for a position that opened in January and packing my boss' office because she can't be bothered. I'm listening to other staffers complain right now about how they can't handle their job and packing their one desk and I have to smirk to myself... I've packed up 75% of this office by myself while doing a bunch of other things.

Oh well. The rant definitely helped a little, as is this lovely Booster Juice.

 

[AlbertaGirl]

I keep a bottle of vodka in my locker.

Seriously, I would second the meditation idea. My boyfriend used to be a walking stress ball at work until he started meditating, and now he's a lot more relaxed.

 

[Tiatrack]

Can you put a note on the shelf that says "Do not leave anything here without first talking to Courtney"?

I DO feel for you, but I think the real answer is to suck it up and just do a great job. Maybe a shift in your mental thoughts towards it might help. Instead of feeling frustrated people are leaving stuff there, think more along the lines of "okay, here is something else I can move the way I want to and make sure it is done correctly" or "they must trust me with their stuff since they are leaving it with me." So much of frustration is just flipping your own outlook. If your bosses are noticing, that isn't a good thing. Use this as an opportunity to prove how great you are at organizing, planning, etc.

Oh, also, don't work while on your lunch break. It has taken me a long time to realize I had a big issue of being TOO available to people. If someone asks you do to something while you're on break, politely say "I'm on my required lunch break right now, but I will get to your request first thing after my break is over." It is hard for those of us that are people-pleasers, but my work life got so much better when I started putting boundaries on what people could expect of me (i.e. no work email checking after hours or on weekends, not responding to work calls after 6pm, etc).

 

[Laurie]

Courtney, when I have a stressful day I crank out the Opera! It always helps. Also you NEED to leave your desk for lunch. Get up walk around and take in the sights. You do need to have some alone time during your work time. I really think that will help.

 

[Courtney]

Tiatrack, that definitely makes sense. We've sent, to date, 3 emails asking people to stop leaving things on the shelves and have had an office wide staff meeting. I was talking with myself at lunch today (yes, I do that) and I've decided that after today at 4pm, anything on that shelf will be remaining on the shelf. If it's not gone by 7am on Friday, it will be going in the garbage. They're all adults and they've had adequate notice to stop leaving me their stuff to pack. Most of it is junky stuff that I think they feel is just easier to pass to someone else, but who really knows what goes on in their heads? LOL.

I think a big part of my problem is that I'm a people pleaser and I'm kind of a push over. I think that's why they put me on this task and why they were so quick to notice a blunt response. I'm normally very soft spoken and quiet, so a sudden change to being completely blunt is a big thing. I did pull another supervisor aside and ask if she's noticed me being grumpy or anything, and she had no idea what I was even talking about. She told me that everyone is feeling a bit frazzled and it's completely understandable if people aren't as talkative as they usually are. I'm pretty sure someone just got their feelings hurt and made a big deal about a rushed reply or something. It's hard to give everyone your full attention when there are 5 people shouting at you about something.

Right now, I'm counting down to noon on Friday when we all get to leave. The movers are taking over and the supervisors are sending us all home.

 

[Parka]

Laugh at me if you want to, but I actually like aromatherapy.. I thought it was complete BS until someone gave me a roll-on from Bath and Body Works. I tried it in class and it helped. I like the eucalyptus stress and the sleep lavender chamomile blends, personally. So I figured I'd throw that out there, here's a link:

Aromatherapy roll-ons

They have other junk too but the roll-on fits in my purse or pocket and I like it. It doesn't make me itchy either.

I hope the Office drama gets worked out and you find some way to destress. : )

 

[Courtney]

I am heading to a mall with a Bath and Body Works store on Friday... I might look into that. Thanks!

I'm sure things will work themselves out. If nothing else, there's a job opening in my old office that I'm going to apply for. It was a really nice office to be in and the only reason I left was because they couldn't offer me a more permanent position. Now they have one opening and I'd jump at the chance to go back.

 

[3CsMommy]

Look up the following Yoga poses: Krishna/the flute player, Downward dog, Sun Salutation, Warrior (and modifications), bending tree and child's pose. They're all fairly simple to start with, but move you around enough to keep the energy flowing/move out the negative. Also, drink plenty of water. You'll filter out more toxins/"bad energy" if you're properly hydrated.

 

[Courtney]

Is there a website you recommend to show me these poses? I've never done yoga in my life, so I'm always a bit confused when people recommend poses.

I do drink a lot of water, but I'll try to increase it, thanks!

 

[Tiatrack]

Is there a website you recommend to show me these poses? I've never done yoga in my life, so I'm always a bit confused when people recommend poses.

I do drink a lot of water, but I'll try to increase it, thanks!

A quick Google search brought up a lot of short video clips that show you basic yoga poses.

 

[3CsMommy]

Youtube would probably show them, or go to yogajournal.com.