We hope you’re having a relaxing summer and that things have slowed down just enough in your corner of the PR world for you to take a deep breath. But if you expect any “break in the action” to be short-lived — and we know you do — we’d like to offer a few tips on dealing with stress when it rears its ugly head again.
Demanding clients, 12-hour workdays and an 8 AM deadline to compile coverage reports; it’s enough to make your head spin. Try to get back in balance with the Headspace app. Headspace will teach you to meditate and live mindfully. And the best part is, they offer bite-sized coaching sessions that you can sneak in any time to reduce stress, stay focused and move through the rest of the day with a positive attitude. Check it out and headspace.com and take a digital chill pill on your iPhone or Android before tackling your next PR crisis.
Another way to stay calm and focused is to make sure the right sounds are bouncing around in your brain. PR pros know how important it is to eliminate the “noise” when getting their message out to the public; but sometimes noise, the right noise, is a good thing. Noisli is an app that provides the perfect background sounds while you’re working, reading or writing (it can also help you sleep, but we don’t recommend you do that at the office). The right sounds can boost your creativity and productivity, go give it a listen at noisli.com.
If you want to go beyond phone apps to achieve peace of mind, try a little hip-hop yoga. Hip-hop yoga is, you guessed it, physical yoga paired with hip-hop music. It’s faster-paced than traditional yoga and is a much more aerobic workout. Find out if there are any hip-hog yoga sessions being offered in your area—sometimes sweat is the best medicine for the body and mind. (Too lazy for yoga? Check out yogajoes.com to “keep the inner peace”, or at least have a laugh.)
The PR industry is lucky enough to also have a secret weapon when it comes to reducing workday stress: Critical Mention. The CriticalMention platform may not serenade you or help moderate your breathing, but it will make the media monitoring and reporting aspects of your job fast, easy and dependable. And with one less time-consuming task to worry about, you can relax and focus on your clients, your career, and your overall well-being. Learn more about Critical Mention here.
How do you reduce the stress of working in the fast-paced world of media relations? Let us know in the comments section or shoot us a tweet!
