SUMMARY POINTS
Work is never-ending - that’s for sure. However, there are those days when you feel like you’re doing nothing but jumping from one effiin’ crisis to another. You’ve become the equivalent of a metaphorical corporate firefighter trying to put out fires all the time.
On these kinds of mega-stressful days or weeks, you just can’t get a single breather or break during the day. You’re hopping from one meeting to another with only a short lunch break if you’re lucky.
Even on your so-called normal workload days, things are still busy non-stop. You can feel the stress building up inside your chest and your head is starting to ache. You’ve pushed yourself through these kinds of days before but now, it’s getting harder to deal with.
The good news is that there are simple ways to give yourself a break without leaving your desk.
On these kinds of mega-stressful days or weeks, you just can’t get a single breather or break during the day. You’re hopping from one meeting to another with only a short lunch break if you’re lucky.
Even on your so-called normal workload days, things are still busy non-stop. You can feel the stress building up inside your chest and your head is starting to ache. You’ve pushed yourself through these kinds of days before but now, it’s getting harder to deal with.
The good news is that there are simple ways to give yourself a break without leaving your desk.
Why It’s Important To Take Stress Breaks
When the human body is under stress, it starts to generate a certain hormone called cortisol, leading to a rise in blood pressure and heart rate. These are natural biological reactions that are genetically programmed in humans.
You see, way back in evolution, our prehistoric ancestors were always on the lookout for crazy-ass animals that could kill them. So, when they spotted a predator eye-balling them for the next meal, their bodies went into full alert mode so they can instantly take action to defend themselves.
When amped up with cortisol, the human body can leap into action, run and defend itself. The cortisol not only primes the body for instant action, but also provides the needed hormonal boost to increase strength and endurance. Once in action, the cortisol gets burned up and eventually subsides once the threat is over. Then, the body settles back down into a more natural resting state.
Today, we don’t have to worry about being attacked and eaten at work, but our biological stress response doesn’t know that an asshole boss or missing a deadline won’t kill you. It treats all stressors the same - bitch boss, overflowing inbox, back-to-back meetings, PITA coworkers, etc. They’re all treated as life-threatening events when they’re not.
So, what ends up happening is that you get exposed to one stressor after another all day long without a break. When you don’t get the chance to burn up the build-up cortisol, you end up getting overwhelmed AF.
This leads to all sorts of health issues including chronic high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain, mental anxiety, etc. You get burned out.
This is why it’s so damn important to give yourself periodic stress relief breaks throughout the day - like after stupid meetings, dealing with backstabbers, getting chewed out by a demoralizing boss, working through a mountain of grunt work, etc.
After each stress trigger, you gotta take a micro mental break and give yourself a little breather so that you can recover before taking on the next issue. This will allow you to keep your cortisol levels in check.
You see, way back in evolution, our prehistoric ancestors were always on the lookout for crazy-ass animals that could kill them. So, when they spotted a predator eye-balling them for the next meal, their bodies went into full alert mode so they can instantly take action to defend themselves.
When amped up with cortisol, the human body can leap into action, run and defend itself. The cortisol not only primes the body for instant action, but also provides the needed hormonal boost to increase strength and endurance. Once in action, the cortisol gets burned up and eventually subsides once the threat is over. Then, the body settles back down into a more natural resting state.
Today, we don’t have to worry about being attacked and eaten at work, but our biological stress response doesn’t know that an asshole boss or missing a deadline won’t kill you. It treats all stressors the same - bitch boss, overflowing inbox, back-to-back meetings, PITA coworkers, etc. They’re all treated as life-threatening events when they’re not.
So, what ends up happening is that you get exposed to one stressor after another all day long without a break. When you don’t get the chance to burn up the build-up cortisol, you end up getting overwhelmed AF.
This leads to all sorts of health issues including chronic high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain, mental anxiety, etc. You get burned out.
This is why it’s so damn important to give yourself periodic stress relief breaks throughout the day - like after stupid meetings, dealing with backstabbers, getting chewed out by a demoralizing boss, working through a mountain of grunt work, etc.
After each stress trigger, you gotta take a micro mental break and give yourself a little breather so that you can recover before taking on the next issue. This will allow you to keep your cortisol levels in check.
5 Ways to Destress Yourself At Your Desk

In a perfect world, you’d get a wonderful aromatherapy head massage after each stressful task at work but that shit doesn’t exist. In a lot of cases, you can’t just get up from your desk and take a walk outside or put your head down on your desk for a few minutes.
Here are five ways to destress right at your desk when you can’t physically get away and go outside for some fresh air.
Here are five ways to destress right at your desk when you can’t physically get away and go outside for some fresh air.
Open Eye Meditation
This little stress relief hack is a great way to get some mental downtime without looking like you’re slacking off in front of your boss. You can do open eye meditations right at your desk to get the relief you need.
Just open up a real wordy document or a number-filled excel file and stare at the screen while doing the open eye meditation. Nobody will ever know that you’re giving yourself a well-deserved mental break.
Just open up a real wordy document or a number-filled excel file and stare at the screen while doing the open eye meditation. Nobody will ever know that you’re giving yourself a well-deserved mental break.
Zone Out With A Daydream
When the stress levels are reaching their boiling point, you can unplug from reality by just simply zoning out and staring at your cubicle wall or ideally, out the window. Believe it or not, zoning out at work is a good thing.
You can either just let your mind go blank or you can daydream about anything that brings you peace and calm. Whichever one you pick, just sit back and let the bullshit of the day just drift away for a few minutes.
You can either just let your mind go blank or you can daydream about anything that brings you peace and calm. Whichever one you pick, just sit back and let the bullshit of the day just drift away for a few minutes.
Landscape Video Meditation
If you can access YouTube at work, this is a fantastic way to get some relaxing vibes to offset the stress. There are tons of stress-busting nature landscape videos to choose from. Some combine expansive jaw-dropping landscapes with soothing music while others are simple views with the sounds of nature in the background.
Find the ones that give you instant relaxation and save those are your favs so that they’re easy to get to when things get stressful. These kinds of videos are one of the best ways to manage work stress.
Find the ones that give you instant relaxation and save those are your favs so that they’re easy to get to when things get stressful. These kinds of videos are one of the best ways to manage work stress.
Get Nostalgic With Photos
It’s been proven that nostalgic emotions, thoughts and feelings help to bring a sense of comfort. This is because nostalgia often triggers the feel good hormone called serotonin which also happens to be a great antidote to cortisol. This reduces anxiety and helps to regulate your stress response.
So, open up the photo app in your phone and scroll through some of your oldest photos of your favorite events from years ago, the home you grew up in, schools you went to, furry friends, etc. Relive those moments and you’ll get the serotonin flowing in no time.
So, open up the photo app in your phone and scroll through some of your oldest photos of your favorite events from years ago, the home you grew up in, schools you went to, furry friends, etc. Relive those moments and you’ll get the serotonin flowing in no time.
Listen To A Nature Soundscape
This is a good option if you can’t watch a video at work. Listening to mother nature’s soundtrack is one of the best ways to dial down the stress levels. It’s such a primordial way to destress.
Think about it - those same prehistoric ancestors that were being chased as prey probably relaxed by closing their eyes and listening to birds chirping. You can do the same thing by listening to any number of nature soundtracks on YouTube or most audio streaming apps.
Think about it - those same prehistoric ancestors that were being chased as prey probably relaxed by closing their eyes and listening to birds chirping. You can do the same thing by listening to any number of nature soundtracks on YouTube or most audio streaming apps.
Destress At Your Desk To Stay Sane

Work is never easy. It’s always going to be a bear no matter what. You can handle most normal days but it’s the bat-shit crazy days that you need to be careful about. This is when you gotta make self-care a top priority.
During the really stressful times, don’t forget to give yourself a timeout from the madness so that you can take a mental break. You can’t and shouldn’t try to plow through it all. No job is worth that.
When you take mental breaks throughout the day, you are keeping your cortisol levels in check. This will prevent it from reaching those critical levels where you feel like the world is closing in on you.
It’s time to put the office chaos on hold. The company and world can wait a few minutes while you take a mental break.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]
During the really stressful times, don’t forget to give yourself a timeout from the madness so that you can take a mental break. You can’t and shouldn’t try to plow through it all. No job is worth that.
When you take mental breaks throughout the day, you are keeping your cortisol levels in check. This will prevent it from reaching those critical levels where you feel like the world is closing in on you.
It’s time to put the office chaos on hold. The company and world can wait a few minutes while you take a mental break.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]