So answered a staff nurse, one of the 3,700 public and voluntary sector workers who responded to a Guardian survey on wellbeing in the workplace, when answering the question: when you feel stressed, what do you do to relax? From playing heavy metal music on full blast to crocheting furiously in front of the TV, respondents had developed a wide range of ways to unwind. With 93% saying they suffer from stress at work, and more than half saying they are more stressed than this time last year, learning to clock off and manage stress has never been more important.
Alongside the positive and charming “I use adult colouring books”, we received frank responses that detailed the daily struggles some public service workers face. Many respondents described over-eating as a means to combat the pressure of work, while others – some 28% – said they tended to drink when stressed. Some said there’s often no time for relaxation, because with a massive workload it’s easier to just carry on doing as much as possible rather than let it pile up further.
