second stress relief tip

2. Take stretch breaks

this one i have to admit, i don't do. i sit for hours in front of the computer screen at work and forget to give my body any attention or breaks. and it often results in me getting cramped up and tense in my neck and shoulders. and before i even realize it, my shoulders are wound up near my ears and i've been sitting that way for a long while without even paying it any mind. i see people sometimes in the hallways stretching their arms and legs and i think they are smart to remember. i sometimes just can't tear myself away, wanting to complete my work perfectly and quickly before even thinking about attending to my own needs. that is especially bad on the days when i'm running late and don't have time to stop for coffee and end up working all morning while fighting my sleepiness at the same time, not making me very productive at all. i get my work done, but the process is just more unpleasant for me than it needs to be.

when i was being trained for my job, i was told to go outside for air if i started to feel myself getting overwhelmed or stressed. i could never manage to train myself to do this. when i'm caught up in stress, all i can think about is getting the work completed and off my mind. i can't go out for a break because i feel that i'm somehow slacking and leaving the work behind which will only be waiting for me when i get back to my desk, not to mention piling up even more.

something is seriously wrong when you find yourself putting work before your own comfort or sanity or humanity. there's no work that's worth sacrificing your health. i don't know why i push myself so hard, when people around me tend to slack and take things easy and never stress much over anything. i need to learn a lesson from them. and since i am this way, it takes me that much longer to relax and unwind and forget my stresses once i leave home. so i've tried to do that at times by listening to relaxing, soft music, such as this which is a recent favorite track of mine: