At Waterhouse Brands, we believe in going the extra mile to deliver extraordinary. But stress impacts us all and influences our ability to show up as our best selves. April is Stress Awareness Month – an opportunity to shed light on the growing stress epidemic and learn what we can do to manage its effects. The current global climate – from the COVID-19 pandemic to the threat of the war in Ukraine – makes acknowledging its impact particularly important this year, not to mention personal stressors that each of us face in our lives.
Awareness is the first step, but in keeping with going the extra mile, we wanted to share some unique and individual ways of managing stress. We sat down with the members of our core Waterhouse team to learn their personal tips, tricks, and strategies for alleviating stress and staying centered. Here’s what they had to say:
“My antidote to stress is meditative breathing coupled with a brisk walk in nature. This ritual helps me to ground and center, reconnect to my power, and illuminate the path ahead.”
“For me, mitigating stress is all about movement. Whether it’s a neighborhood walk or time on the Peloton, movement is how I come back to center.”
“I take a deep breath, listen to music, and clear my mind for a few minutes. When I have more time to fully recharge, I take a walk to get some sun, meditate, or do yoga to disconnect.”
“In order to relieve stress, I exercise, take a break, walk around the block, breathe (4-7-8 breathing technique), and stretch.”
“Being with friends reminds me there are other people, problems, and joys in the world, and rock climbing forces me to be so present with my mind, body, and breath that I forget what was causing me stress.”
“I stretch, move around for a few minutes, look out a window, walk outside to breathe fresh air, or solve a quick online puzzle (like SET or Wordle) to connect to the problem-solving part of my brain. These tiny moments bring me inner clarity and purpose.”
“My main tool for alleviating stress is to take a break from my screens to exercise other senses like making a fresh Chemex of coffee or taking a walk outside. I always find those moments reset my focus and put everything in perspective.”
“I take a few deep breaths, stand up straight with my shoulders back and hold the position for a few moments (stolen from Tony Robbins). This dissipates stress quickly and I generally feel much better afterwards.”
We hope these insights have provided some fresh ideas or reminders to help you find your center during challenging times that knock you off course. What’s your go-to method for managing stress? Let us know in the comments below. On behalf of our team at Waterhouse, we wish you a calm and collected April!