I wish that i could say that the resIults of my stress tests (as i’ll call them) were surprising, but they weren’t. I know i’m stressed. I have a pregnant wife that is having a difficult pregnancy, work has asked me to work more because we’re behind, i have two kids under the age of 7 that need attention (gladly), I’m in grad school that pretty much takes up the rest of my free time, even my weekend and my health hasn’t been great over the last year. I’m not looking for pity, we all have things to deal with. I know how to take care of stress in a healthy way, but I also don’t necessarily do that either. Funny enough, the fish tank on my desk at home (where i work these days) provides me a decent amount of help. It’s a 6 gallon tank with some live plants, a couple of tetras, some driftwood, and most importantly, my skrimps. It doesn’t get rid of the stress, but for the minute or two that i take to just look at them and watch them it helps. Going for a walk would help to, but it doesn’t stop the fact that I have homework due almost every night of the week.

Companies take various approaches to help their employees deal with stress. A very basic approach is utilizing a sick day as a personal day. I’ve done it, i’ve seen several people do it. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break and not burn a vacation day. Other companies may offer some form of counseling and some provide extra facilities to let people get away. I dont’ work in the office right now, but on the site that my company offices are at there are walking paths, volleyball fields, a full gym with health coaches, soccer fields, a pond, and even a garden. Unfortunately my company is only authorized to use some of the resources, but it’s nice that they’re there. These are just drops in the bucket compared to other companies.

One idea that I read about was a company was adamant that people didn’t work during their off time. It may have been Patagonia, but don’t quote me on that. It doesn’t remove the stress, but it sets a line between work and home. One person send an email late at night and the CEO responded and I think the employee was put on warning. They understand the desire, but one person can plant a seed and expectations of others and they didnt’ want that. They want people to enjoy their time off and not have to worry. Honestly, i kind of like that, but occasionally I need to work to get something done so I can actually have an easy day the next.