Tune In and Tune Out

Someone once said, ~Stop a minute, right where you are...Tell that imperious voice to be still.~ Without a doubt, working in a highly populated environment involving some form of customer service you're going to have personal experience and possibly be bombarded with a tremendous amount of noise or chatter. A type of noise or chatter that will negatively affect you in such a way that your whole mood/demeanor can change gradually or in an instant. For it can most definitely be an annoyingly irritating and stressful situation indeed when you're dealing with high volumes of interaction of communicating with people either face to face or on the phone. Essentially, those interactions will certainly take its toll on any individual and when you're left drained mentally, emotionally, as well as physically all you want to do is find a quiet place to peacefully decompress in your own way.

As I said before, working in a highly populated environment involving some form of customer service you're going to personal experience and possibly bombarded with a tremendous amount of noise or chatter. Of course, when it comes peacefully decompressing after going through a work-related sensory overload involving one's sense of hearing, opening a cold one/alcoholic beverage and plopping comfortably down in your favorite recliner is considered a preferred method of relaxation. Although it may not be viewed by some as the best way to relieve noise related stress, it is for others who felt seemingly drained of your energy because of the noise. However, there's something completely not only satisfying, but considerably uplifting about having/opening a canned/bottled alcoholic beverage to quench your thirst after being bombarded with customer service noise leaving you to be mentally, emotionally, and physically tired.

If you think about it, the thought of playing a game whether it be a video game system, on a computer, or a board game with your best buds/gal pals after working in a noisy customer service environment wouldn't be deemed/viewed as a big stress reliever, but in fact it actually is. True, there is noise involved when gaming and combined with the aggression released by doing it is absolutely therapeutic knowing how much pent up mental, emotional, and physical stress was accumulated while trying to keep one's own professionalism intact. What it primarily comes down to is harnessing all the mixed noise of anger, frustration, entitled requests, confusing stupidity, etc. that your were dealing with and released it either with a game controller in hand as you're talking smack on a headset, pressing keys on a computer keyboard, or a roll of the dice playing a board game like Dungeons and Dragons.

Let me ask this question to those who like to relax in peace after working in a noisy customer service environment, does it have to be in complete silence? I think its safe to say there are a number of individuals out there who simply enjoy the utter silence of not having anything on and just sitting or lying down with their eyes closed. In other words, having a zen moment where you're taking the opportunity given to sit still, as well as meditate in your own unique way, while you're letting your mind and body become quietly balanced. Granted, it may take a moment to achieve that aforementioned quiet balance but when you do you'll start to feel a gradual emotional release, the mental distractions will fade away, and you'll become more physically attentive during your breathing exercises. Hey, zen meditation is not for everyone but it has significant benefits such as open inner freedom and deep listening.

In retrospect, there are so many other preferred alternatives to undertake to try to decompress after working in a noise related customer service environment. You see, doing such things as listening to music, art in any form, watching a movie, reading, writing, building models, working out, fixing cars, etc. are just a few examples of how we all blow off steam in order to calm ourselves down. Thinking about it further, there are also places you can go to that are rage rooms where you can pay to work out your anger and frustration by destroying/smashing like a printer or whatever the case may be in an Office Space like setting. In the end, any noisy workplace can be very stressful, but if you're able to come out the other side feeling hopefully stress free after taking part in the violent or peaceful therapeutic activity then by all means tune in and tune out.