Agency Life: Managing Stress in a Fast-Paced Environment

Agency life is no joke. In a hectic environment such as ours, stress levels can get high, but somehow our team still manages to stay calm, cool and collected. How do we do it? Personally, I deal with stress by taking a break to talk to my mom, or putting on one of my favorite movies when I get home from work. That’s what works for me, but for some of you, that may not do the trick. I asked our team of digital marketing pros to share their methods for de-stressing – check out their responses below, and hopefully you’ll find a thing or two that could help you manage your stress levels when things get a little bit crazy.

How Our Pros Deal With Stress

Robert Rodrigues | Partner

“I try to use stress as fuel to making my life better. For example, I know eating healthy helps lower stress so I have a competition with myself on how many glasses of water I can have in a given day. The more I push myself, the less I focus on being stressed and the more my stressors become fuel to being even more productive.

Other ways I deal with stress are being around animals, enjoying a game of ping pong at the office, or sparking up a conversation with a coworker to get my mind focused on something or someone positive! “

Sarah Stevens | SEO

“I destress by working out – no matter how stressed/tired/whatever emotion I’m feeling I always find taking some time to work out – yoga, run, anything – helps me refocus and regroup. Specifically for me – running is like a free therapy session – helps me think through everything – good and bad

Britney Schroeder | Content Marketing

“I use my mornings to decrease stress. Getting ahead of the day often prevents stress but when I can tell the week is going to be hectic I make a point to get in a half hour or 45 minutes earlier than planned to I can plan my day and increase my overall productivity which in turn helps me decrease my stress level.”

Sam Wormser | PR/Outreach

“I deal with stress through working out. After a day at work one of the best ways I like to unwind and relax is through going to a workout class, whether that’s pilates, barre or spin. Unplugging from electronics and getting a great sweat in makes me center myself and motivates me mentally.”

Christiana Minga | Content Marketing

“A couple things that help me with stress:

• Exercising
• Getting at least 7 hours of sleep so my mind is recharged
• Staying organized and making a to-do list
• Getting outside
• Thinking about the people & opportunities in my life that I’m thankful for”

Sean Dilger | SEO

“I find getting out of the office for some fresh air and a walk helps me when I get stressed. Listening to music is also a big help”

Priscilla Jeng | Paid Media

“I deal with stress by coming up with a game plan and mapping out how to tackle the task or issue. Sometimes it also works to take deep breaths or take a walk, other times working out or being active can help me release some stress as well.”

Austin Randall | Paid Media

“Taking a walk outside the office, no matter how short or far, always helps me with stress. If I’m mentally blocked, then briefly getting my mind off the task at hand is a great way to recalibrate and jump back in fresh!”

Nick Slettengren | Partner

• “I try to focus on the task at hand not on my entire workflow as that has a tendency to make me stressed. The trick here is to establish your workflow in the morning first thing. Then start to go down the list and knock things out..
• I check my email 3 times a day. If I check my email too often, I find one off requests that can “highjack” my day and set me off my course, which leads to stress. If it is a true emergency people IM, Call or Text.
• If I’m feeling overwhelmed I call home. Sometimes in times of stress I will call my wife and see what she is up to. It gives me a different perspective and makes me take a breather from the workflow.”

Zellie Friedman | Social Media

“I’m a stress cleaner. No one likes to be stressed but my house sure does benefit from a higher stress level. Listening to music, exercising, or doing anything outside helps me feel better in times of high stress too.

To manage my stress, I prioritize. I love lists and the satisfaction I get from crossing something off a list significantly lowers my stress level. If I have a lot on my plate, I write it all down then organize into manageable daily tasks. Once it’s all on paper and not floating around my brain, the tasks at hand seem a lot more manageable.”

Ryan Larkin | Paid Media

“stress (noun)

1. Pressure or tension exerted on a material object.

“the distribution of stress is uniform across the bar”

synonyms: pressure, tension, strain

“the stress is uniform across the bar”

 

2. A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.

“he’s obviously under a lot of stress”

synonyms: strain, pressure, (nervous) tension, worry, anxiety, trouble, difficulty; informalhassle

“he’s under a lot of stress”

I don’t usually get too stressed out, but when I do I have a few coping mechanisms. The first and usually most effect is a nice surf sesh during a sunset. Absolutely nothing like it. I also spend a fair amount of time in the gym which also helps keep stress levels in check. And finally (and definitely the cheesiest) is talking it out with my GF.

Boom”.

Grayson Lafrenz | Partner

• “I take a deep breath and think about what’s stressing me and what that really is in the context of life and will I even care about this in a month from now.  Usually I find I am blowing things out of proportion.
• I like to be outdoors and get some fresh air.  This helps me get away from the stress and focus on mother nature and how blessed I am to live in such a wonderful place.”

Bryce Hamlin | Paid Media

“As someone who’s struggled with anxiety my whole life, meditation has been the biggest positive change I’ve made in terms of stress management. I’m also the kind of person that likes to throw myself at stress head on instead of overthinking it. Stress is easy to deal with when I look at it as a challenge.”

Nicole Grodesky | SEO

• I take a time out for myself and reflect on what is stressing me out. I then allow myself to look at the problem from all angles and think of a solution.
• Definitely surf. I spend a lot of time thinking while I’m waiting for waves. 3. Hang out with friends.
• Listening to music is a great way to destress.

Now It’s Your Turn

Well, there you have it – our secrets to managing stress in the workplace. Like I said, agency life is hectic. In order to thrive in a fast-paced industry you must figure out how to take care of yourself – a big part of that is learning what works for you when it comes to managing your stress. If you’d like to share your secrets to stress management or would like to ask myself or any of our team members about their methods, please reach out to us! We’d love to hear from you.