How 9 women in tech practice self care at work
Sometimes the day calls for some emergency TLC
Sometimes it takes a little extra TLC to help you keep you going when you’re having a stressful day. In a previous post we shared some ways people build self-care into their morning routines — de-stress techniques and other ways to take care of yourself. But all the good breakfasts in the world won’t help when it’s 3pm and work just starts to get to you.
So we asked the Pay Up community to share the things they do during the workday to channel anxieties and help alleviate stresses. Everything from ways to stay sane during a tough phone call to ways to mix it up when you need inspiration.
Here are nine things they recommended for getting through a tough day.
Channel extra energy
“I bought my coworkers Mad Mattr and everyone in the office steals it from each other. It’s like play-doh, but it’s not sticky at all — and insanely addictive.” — Heidi Hansen
“I have a mini-Slinky for that! I’ve carried one around to every job, I think since I left college! It’s soothing. The sound kind of helps me zone out, and because it takes both hands, I actually stop what I’m doing and play with it.” — Jenn Topper
“Lego works great to keep your hands busy and destress too! Lego and coloring books are my go to usually at home, but sometimes at work too. A few years ago when I worked in tech support I used to color when I was on the phone with stressful customers that really just wanted to yell.” — Bethany Ross
“I always have my bullet journal with me, so I can doodle. I have the dotted kind, so a lot of squares in different shades of gray. Lots of stars, checkerboards, and gradients. My favorite thing to do is make today’s date look really fancy.” — Avery Johnson
Get your thoughts out on paper
“I think that making a list of the things that you feel you need to do sort of relieves you a bit. Like just getting it all down on paper so it’s not bouncing in your head — or writing on a white/blackboard always soothes me, whatever it is I’m writing.” — Nicte Trujillo
Mix up your surroundings
“I work in a small office and my table faces a wall, which sometimes makes me feel a bit pressured. When it happens I go work in the building rooftop. It has an amazing view and I feel like I have more space to relax. Time weirdly seems to go by slower there.” — Ligia Aguilhar
“[I take] regular lunch outings with coworkers (it helps that I actually like my coworkers).” — Shauna Gordon
Keep inspiration on hand
“I have both the ‘This is fine’ cartoon and the Wait But Why Instant Gratification Monkey/Panic Monster printed out and taped up next to my color codes. A lot of my days feel like that, so the levity keeps me level headed.” — Tassia Bezdeka
“When I was in college one of my roommates found this book buried in the basement of the house we lived in. We laughed as we read the absurdity of the advice given, especially to young women. According to this book, I’m a pretty awful person who is responsible for all misery that comes my way and who will never find love. I keep it around though as a reminder to myself of how far we’ve come as a society and a reminder of how much more work we have yet to do.” — Danielle Boenisch
What do you do to take care of yourself during stressful times? Leave us a note in the comments, and check back next week as we share our members’ suggestions and routines.
Pay Up is a private, Slack-based community dedicated to fostering conversations about the gender wage gap. It was formerly managed by the Washington Post.
