November 3rd is National Stress Awareness Day. I didn’t know there was such a thing until I was asked to write an article about it for Inkitt, the publishing company I work for. When I interviewed several employees, we talked about the challenges of working in the modern era, how we create balance between work and life, and how we care for our mental and physical well-being.
We all identified similar issues that contribute to our stress. The technology that makes our lives easier also has a flip side in that it’s possible to never disconnect. Working in the creative space, we’re all passionate about our careers and enjoy what we do. In some ways, that makes it even harder to step away. I feel a bit guilty complaining about the stress level of my work, when honestly, its my dream job. Still, unhealthy habits take a toll, and the publishing industry has its own unique type of stressors and headaches.
I’ve blogged about this topic before and shared many of my own tricks to help with balance, productivity, time management, and stress relief. Today, as I write this from the Nantucket ferry, after a Halloween weekend of silliness and laughter, I realize that having fun should be on the very top of the list of stress relieving activities.
Ray and I celebrated the 30th anniversary of our first date on Halloween. I know, I can’t believe I’m this old either. But anyway, one of the reasons I think our marriage has lasted so well for so long is that we really, truly have fun together. We dress up for King Richard’s Faire and laugh our asses off at the off-color shows. We enjoy Halloween as much as our kids. We laugh often and play well together.
When we don’t agree on a particular version of fun (for example, he thinks playing golf is fun, whereas my fun happens later over dinner and cocktails, and he doesn’t think Comic Cons are any fun at all), we still support each other in having that fun independently. So, I would add this little piece of advice to the article I wrote. Make time for fun. Laugh often and easily. It’s good for us!
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” — Lord Byron
IN OTHER NEWS:
I’ll be at Rhode Island Comic Con this weekend. You can find me signing books at table 619, and here’s my panel schedule:
World Building: Mind Your Myths and Backstory - Saturday, November 6 at 11 am in Room 551
Writing the Other: Creating Characters Outside Your Comfort Zone - Sunday, November 7 at 12:15 pm
I’ll be at the annual RI Author Expo on Saturday, December 11th. Signed books make great holiday gifts, and our Expo features many talented local authors. The program and panel schedule will be coming soon! NOTE:The venue has changed to the Crowne Plaza, Warwick from 9 am-3 pm.
Here are some photos from our Nantucket weekend!
