See those entrepreneurs being featured on the news and in magazines? You probably envy them for making it big, right? You want all that money their business is earning. But behind that veneer of success is a lot of sleepless nights and sacrifices. They face so many failures before they succeed.

Being the boss of your own company isn’t all fun and games as many TV shows and the movies make it out to be. On the contrary, it can be downright stressful.

Everyone knows stress is bad for your health. It makes you ill. Literally. Anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines, colds, insomnia—not to mention pimples and acne. You tend to pick up some habits along the way too, like smoking. But you can’t really avoid stress in the BPO scene. Day in and day out, you’re dealing with local and foreign clients, work delays, and mistakes. I sometimes have to work on the weekends and on ungodly hours when I know I shouldn’t.

It gets to you sometimes, but you say to yourself that you have to keep going. But it doesn’t hurt to pause for a moment either. Taking a break is important, you know. It lets you think more clearly and your health will thank you for it too.

Here are just some of the ways that I take a breather:

Don’t Go To The Office—Work Somewhere Else

Recently, my stress levels spiked so badly that I had spasms on the right side of my face for two weeks. For the first two days, it was continuously twitching until later on it would only spasm once every hour. I went to a doctor and was told it was due to stress. I was given muscle relaxants, but I knew that it was also time to get away for a while.

What I do when I can’t afford to leave Davao City but need to get away from the office?

Well, I work elsewhere.

Sometimes being in the office just makes my stress worse. It’s the busy atmosphere and the problems that often await me when I arrive that contribute to it. It helps a lot to be physically away from the workplace, although I’m not actually leaving my work behind. I can still keep in touch with everyone even though I’m chilling by the poolside with a book in hand and a laptop by my side.

Travel!

Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Just kidding! But again, being away from the office is a huge stress buster. I tend to plan my out of town travels ahead of time and inform my staff about it so we can smooth out things before I leave.

Visiting new places and experiencing different cultures also takes my mind off anything work-related. Why worry about how the staff are doing when I’m busy exploring Busan with the people that matter the most to me? Having faith that everything will still be alright when I come back helps keep the anxiety away. And if something does go wrong? Well, I can always ask for updates online, right? I don’t need to be at the office in person all the time.

But it doesn’t always have to be outside the Philippines. We’ve got a lot of places here worth spending a day or two at too. It doesn’t hurt my wallet that much, so that’s a huge plus.

 

Have A Salon or a Spa Day

Pampering your body can do wonders for your mood and your mind. My favorite place when it comes to getting my hair done is this salon named Pink&Gold. They have two branches—one at Lanang and one at Roxas Avenue. They practically spoil their customers, which I absolutely love. They even give you complementary drinks too!

Pink&Gold also has a sister spa called Bloom, located at the same spots where P&G’s branches are. It’s my go-to place for facial services since they spoil their clients as well. There are times that I’ve almost fallen asleep because it’s so relaxing there. Aside from facials, they have hair removal and slimming services. I’ve had my eyebrows microbladed there too. Eyebrows that are on fleek always make me feel much better.

Eat Out

Who doesn’t love to eat? I don’t call myself a stress eater, but eating good food always helps improve my state of mind. When I’m not eating take out in the office, I love to eat out. I don’t particularly care for the cuisine either. It all depends on what I feel like having. I’m not a picky eater at all.

I also don’t care if the restaurant’s old or new. What matters to me is that the food is delicious. And the best part is Davao City’s loaded with great restaurants. Want to eat something without meat? Vegan Dinosaur at Marfori comes to mind. There’s also Bondi&Bourke and Sea Green Café. Seafood? I immediately think of Marina Tuna, Yellow Fin Tuna, and the ones that specialize in crabs. Filipino cuisine? There’s Bistro Selera (and its sister restaurant Selera Sets), Rekado, Café Tavera, and so much more. And don’t get me started on the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean restaurants.

Honestly, there’s so many restaurants here in Davao City, I’d probably need to write a book to list them all down. But that’s a good thing, because that means I’ll never run out of great places to eat out at!

Work Out

It’s well-known that exercising can help you deal with stress. Ergo, I work out. Not just for its stress-relieving qualities, mind you, but it helps me stay in shape and have the confidence to bare my midriff at the beach and at Halloween parties.

I used to frequent Metro Lifestyle Gym in Torres Street, but they’ve closed down, unfortunately. These days, I mostly focus on doing yoga at home.

Yoga has been amazing at making me more focused. I find myself less distracted by my thoughts and as a result I become less anxious. I’ve also been sleeping more soundly and feel much refreshed and healthier in general the more that I do it.

Stay At Home

There are times when I am not in the mood to show up in the office although I’m still keen on getting work done. But I also don’t feel like leaving the house and going on a mini adventure.

So I just stay at home. Simple as that. I put a few drops of Young Living essential oils in my diffuser and let the aroma spread throughout the house to help me relax. I then turn on my laptop, log on Facebook, Teamwork, and Skype, and then get to work.

Working at home and enjoying its creature comforts is always very comfortable, although it’s also easy to fall into the temptation of not working. Of course, I constantly have to remind myself that hey, I’m still working. But it does make me less cranky.

Do Chores

A lot of people don’t like doing chores. I, on the other hand, love to do them. You see, with work, there’s always the probability of failure, things just not going your way, or the internet connection going down. But chores will always be successful in the end, no matter how long it takes you to do them.

If I did the laundry, the end result will be clean clothes.

If I waxed the floor, the floor will become shiny.

Work is often unpredictable. Unpredictability is what often makes it stressful for me, since we have clients that are waiting for our output. With chores, I know what the outcome will be.

Besides, doesn’t it make you feel better if your home is neat and orderly? A messy home will just stress you out even further.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Despite all the ways I have to deal with stress, I actually don’t think we can ever live truly stress-free lives. But what we can do is maintain a healthy work-life balance. Go out and explore the world in your free time. Indulge in your hobbies. Spend time with your family and friends. Remember that there’s more to our lives than the workplace–like Star Wars collectibles.

When you feel like you’re being overwhelmed by everything that’s going on at work, don’t be afraid to admit to yourself that you need a time-out. Everyone needs one. I know I’m a busybody, but I also know when it’s time to step back for a moment and take a break. Forcing yourself to keep going even when you’re burnt out isn’t healthy at all. It will only make things worse.