Have the first person throw a ball to someone else and remember who they threw it to since they will be asked to remember and continue the same pattern. If there is only one group, you can be part of the group, but if there is more than one, make sure you are not in the mix, since you will need to move around between groups. Each person throws the ball to someone who has not yet had the ball. Do not have them throw to the same person twice until all members have gotten it first.
Once they have the pattern down, introduce another ball—then another and then another. Balls drop, roll, etc. With five or six balls going at a time, it becomes quite a circus with a lot of laughing! What did they learn they had to do to be successful?
How many thought of what they would eat for dinner, etc.? This is a great lesson on mindfulness, as people are totally in the present, and thus would be an ideal activity for DBT groups when addressing the subject of mindfulness.
Point out that life is like the activity—we all juggle many things at one time, and if we are not focused, things get dropped! If we focus too much on the past or present, the stress balls will pound and bombard us if we are not alert. Take a straw and place it horizontally on the table. Now hold both the ends firmly and start twisting them in such a manner that they overlap each other and form an air bubble at the center.
Now ask a volunteer to step forward and burst the straw air bubble with a thumb or finger as if hitting the stricker on the carrom board. The bubble with burst and will create a lot of noise. Posted online by Pooja Whig. A useful starting point may be to introduce a tool such as the stress drivers questionnaire that the whole team can do together and to use this as a basis for starting a conversation.
Posted online by Deryl Dix. The Stress-Management Thumball is an excellent way to initiate conversations about the causes and remedies of stress. See sample discussion prompts here. For example: I have yet not shared my report with the boss, but since I know him to be really crooked, I keep thinking his various possible reactions and consequently get stressed. Here is an activity that helps to understand that:.
This exercise works best with a team who already work together. I use it half way through the day — usually after lunch. The information is collated and every member of the team is given a copy for future reference. I have seen huge turnarounds with teams using this exercise. Posted online by Gail Page. Quick Calm is an easy deep-breathing exercise that I use with every audience.
At the end of the workshop I ask them to place a blue dot on the same thermometer for their current stress level. On a flipchart you draw the shape of the human body and draw in different colours where stress affects the body i.
Invite participants to do the same, it allows the participants to see what stress is actually doing to their bodies and how much they put themselves through. Also discussed is what we like to do for ourselves and how we can build these things into our lives to help alleviate the stress. Posted online by Catherine Conlon. I ask the audience to name causes of stress and ask them to note these down on the blank wheel handout provided, scoring 0 — 10 0 being stressed — 10 not an issue.
Individuals choose 6 that are pertinent to them and to then complete the wheel. This allows participants to identify their key areas of stress.
Participants are asked to share with the person next to them initially. Further into the programme we look at tools and techniques to cope with the stressors identified on the wheel. Posted online by Jane Worthington. Depending on the time of the event, you can even invite family members to participate.
Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt. Provide a list of 20 or so items and activities. Connect your team with a stress-relief expert for a lunch and learn event. Schedule a video lunch break and have a presenter discuss stress relief tips. By bringing in an expert, you empower your team with the opportunity to change their lives. It could be a certified meditation instructor, a yoga teacher, or even a psychologist.
Ask everyone to make a heart-healthy snack ahead of the meeting time. During the meeting, encourage employees to share their healthy recipes with fellow coworkers. Connect your team socially for physical health perks. Put together fitness challenges to support employees in a variety of ways as a team. A step challenge is the easiest fitness challenge to get employees to try out. There are loads of games you can play online that require little equipment from trivia, Bingo, Pictionary, Scattergories, or even charades.
Send out small prizes or trophies to the winning team. Use the universal love of caffeine as a way to build employee friendships. One day each week, pair employees up randomly for a virtual coffee break for team building and mental health perks.
Keep it short with a 30 minutes max time limit for 1-on-1 coffee meetings. Have your employees randomly pick one ingredient per month and then incentivize people to share recipes or dishes they cooked that month using that specific ingredient. Give out prizes for the most creative entries. Have one employee volunteer to lead a fitness workout via Zoom.
Your team will get their cardio in along with their daily dose of laughter. Have your team vote on a book to read together. They can also be an avenue for employees to give and receive social support from their peers.
For teams that are musically-inclined, a simple jam session might do the trick. Preparing songs and performing them involves coming to terms with inner emotions, all of which can ultimately make people more relaxed. If the company hosts a music competition, this can also be an avenue for people to win recognition for their talents, which can bolster their self-esteem.
Board game nights are reminiscent of the games that people used to play with their families when they were younger. Hence, this type of activity is more appropriate for small, closely-knit teams that already think of their members as a second family of sorts.
Board games need not be limited to classics such as Monopoly. The board game market is filled with dozens of titles and genres , making sure that people will never run out of games to enjoy. Foosball is a mainstay of office game rooms. For the unacquainted, it is a game that resembles soccer. Foosball has a certain appeal for many people, and a group of people can easily have hours of fun with it.
On a more serious note, support groups can be a useful way to handle excessive stress. It combines social bonding with the opportunity to express repressed emotions within a safe space.
This option is a more somber choice compared to some of the other entries in this article, but they are nevertheless a useful part of stress management. Moderated drinking sessions can still help combat stress.
Despite what many may believe, alcohol is a depressant. It reduces brain activity, and in small doses, it can help suppress overthinking and release inhibitions. Drinking sessions can be a productive avenue to talk about problems and seek support from others.
However, the presence of alcohol makes it a risky endeavor. Employees should practice caution when drinking, and they should know when to stop. Sometimes, stress relief activities are better when implemented as part of company policy. It enables everyone in the organization to benefit from these activities. Fun runs are an excellent way to keep people physically fit. Many employees look forward to participating in fun runs with friends.
Preparing for a fun run also involves weeks of conditioning. All these physical activities can give people stronger bodies and healthier minds. Some fun runs take it further through various gimmicks, such as night runs where people receive glow sticks.
Others make associate worthy causes to the fun runs, ensuring that a part of the proceeds go towards causes that the employees believe in. We have written a related article — 25 Top Stress Relief Products. Despite the name, amazing races need not be as extensive as fun runs. It can take the form of relay games conducted on the company premises.
The point here is to incorporate teamwork and fun into each activity, ensuring that employees will work together, compete for the top prize, and have fun. Team sports can also be fun, especially if there are competitive players within the organization. Employees will be able to showcase their skill, while everyone else gets good entertainment.
Based on recent trends, spoken word performances have been increasing in popularity these last few years. Having to write down their innermost feelings and to present them in front of an audience, performers find that spoken word helps them deal better with stress.
People with arcane, encyclopedic knowledge might find it interesting to join a quiz bee. Preparing for a quiz bee and outwitting opponents can be a welcome change of pace for many employees. With the advent of modern technology, competitions should not happen in physical locations only.
There are numerous games online that offer people the chance to compete with each other and to have fun. Spending a day in a cookoff is heaven for foodies.
Cooking enthusiasts get to show people their stuff, and at the end, everyone gets treated to good food. Admittedly one of the more arcane suggestions in this article, cosplay can nevertheless be a stress-relieving activity.
Being able to achieve a certain look can be a challenging but rewarding task, and the sense of satisfaction can be enough to make employees feel fulfilled. Human beings need to feel appreciated. Even something as simple as a birthday greeting can be enough to make people feel at ease.
In the same token as birthdays, teams should celebrate career achievements. It makes employees feel validated, which will help them think that all the stress was worthwhile. The best employees deserve something extra. Repetitive work can cause boredom and stress. To introduce novelty, managers should consider work rotations so that everyone gets to try something new. People love socializing, so providing formal events where they get to grow their social networks can help reduce stress levels.
Speed dating events can be an unusual but effective way to boost employee morale. Speed dating can strengthen relationships and are also a lot of fun. Inviting everyone to watch the latest blockbuster can be a hassle-free way to make people relax after work. Karaoke , particularly bad singing, is notorious for annoying people off. However, suitably constructed booths should allow people to sing their hearts out without disturbing other people. One way to reduce stress is to boost self-efficacy.
Allowing employees to work on side projects they love bolsters their confidence and can be a welcome respite from their regular jobs. Contrary to popular belief, stress management skills are teachable. Equipping people with these skills can help them become better at managing stress themselves. Finally, making it easier to access professional mental health services reminds employees that there is nothing wrong in asking for help.
The ideal way to proceed is to talk to your superior. Communicate how exactly these activities can help in stress management.
Provide substantial evidence when presenting your case and hope for the best. How do I know which activities are relevant to my company? Experiment and try out promising activities. As stated before, some of these activities might be better than others for particular cases. Ask your employees for their opinion and consider the current capabilities of your company to handle such activities before implementing them.
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Healthy diet 2. Stretching 3. Weightlifting 4. Reading 6. Writing 7. Stress balls 8. Water breaks 9. Strolls Naps Meditation Music Chatting with friends Cleaning workstation Team building activites Decaf coffee Chamomile tea sessions Yoga classes Aerobics Dance party Synchronized swimming Massage sessions Physical meetings Online meetings Jam sessions Board game nights Foosball Support groups Fun runs Amazing races Team sports Talent nights Spoken word Quiz bees Online competitions Weekend barbecue Cosplay
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