Tips to Manage Pre-Winter Break Stress

Tips to Manage Pre-Winter Break Stress

by | Dec 11, 2019 | Just for Fun | 3 comments

I don’t know about you folks, but in my neck of the woods, it always feels like the space between Thanksgiving break and Winter break is super stressful.

Everyone is getting sick. Tempers are short. Deadlines are looming.

It’s like being in a pressure cooker!

GET ALL THE THINGS DONE!

To keep yourself healthy and stress-free over the next few weeks I’ve put together a list of ways to beat the holiday stress. Feel free to put these into practice here and at home.

10 Practical Ways to Beat the Pre-Winter Break Stress

  1. Release several goats in your office/building. Go make yourself a cup of coffee and wait for the screams to start. Sit back and enjoy the pandemonium.
  2. Make snowflakes out of Kimwipes and hang them in the lab. Extra stress-relieving if you sprinkle them on lab-mates’ heads and gleefully shout, “It’s snowing!”
  3. The next phone call you receive answer it by saying, “Congratulations! You’re our 7th caller, you’ve won tickets to see Game of Thrones on Ice!” Then hang up.
  4. Send an email to Lorraine and tell her you would like to interview a candidate for a position in your lab. Tell her the candidate needs travel arrangements from the North Pole. Ask about lodging for 8 pet reindeer. Anytime after Dec. 26th will work.
  5. Wear your pajamas to work, extra stress-relieving if you wear bunny slippers. (Make sure they’re close-toed slippers, can’t forget lab safety!)
  6. Eat an entire box of Trader Joes Peppermint Joe-Joes by yourself. I can tell you from personal experience this is super helpful!
  7. Sign up for a ‘Make Your Own Turducken’ cooking class.
  8. Bring a sled to work. Sit on it in the hallway and rock from side to side while making whooshing noises. When people walk by tell them you are practicing for your Amateur Sledding League. Extra stress-relieving if you wear ski goggles.
  9. Toast marshmallows using the space heater you brought in because your office is always cold. Extra stress-relieving if you make s’mores with peppermint bark. Extra, extra stress-relieving if you bring me one.
  10. Take a vacation at your desk. Put a tropical screensaver on your computer, wear your sunglasses, cover your entire desk in sand. Extra stress-relieving if you and a coworker build a sandcastle.

I hope my ‘helpful’ list put a smile on your face and brought a little stress-relief to your day. Take good care of yourselves over the next few weeks. Hang in there, the winter break is almost here!

P.S. Lorraine, the job candidate has a dietary restriction, he only eats milk and cookies.

P.P.S. I’m serious about that peppermint bark s’more. You can find me in W102 MSC.