Help Scout Unscripted: Relaxation
When you use Help Scout, contact our support team, or read one of our blog posts, do you ever wonder who’s behind the brand?
If your answer is yes, then you’re in luck — welcome to Help Scout Unscripted, a series where we ask Help Scouts a question and share the answers with all of you.
Today’s question: What's your favorite way to relax?
The end of the year tends to be hectic, both at work and at home. Between Q4 numbers, code freezes, road freezes, and serpentining airport security lines, it can feel like a lot.
Trust, we feel it too! That’s why I thought it might be helpful to share some of the ways our team likes to relax.
Read on for a few ideas on how to find a bit of peace among the chaos.
Depends on the day! But here are a few of my go-to ideas:
Going for a walk.
Playing the guitar.
Watching craftspeople make beautiful things on YouTube (woodworking and leatherworking mostly) while drinking a hot drink (usually decaf coffee or Rooibos tea).
Putting on some music and putzing around the house.
Once a month in the winter my wife and I go to a Nordic Spa to do the water circuit. 11/10 would recommend.
Ben
Technical Support Specialist
Sleep (saying that as a father of 3, please no judgement!)
Borys
Sr. Engineer
Automotive videos on YouTube and a long pour of 100 proof bourbon.
Austin
Sr. Account Manager
Sauna!
Kristi
Customer Success Manager
Massage. Every other week. 💆♂️
Diogo
Sr. Engineer
Wait, there's more ways to relax than "laying on the couch and doing nothing"?
Luke
Sr. Engineer
What's "relax"!??! 😆
In my dreams, I love:
a great massage.
being in a cabin in the woods .
a sensory deprivation tank (only done this twice but it was bizarre and cool).
Leah
VP of People
Music. I will listen to a lot of stuff for fun and relaxation, but not all of it is what most people would call "relaxing," LOL. If you want a "relaxation" rec though, then always best to go with a stone classic.
Lars
Security and Privacy Analyst
These days it's sipping tea after a long day while chatting with my husband about random topics. With a heating pad behind me and wrapped in a blanket. Basically being warm is my favorite way to relax. My husband just happens to be there! 🙂
Nisha
Director of Product Operations
After working and looking after the kids, I love to plonk myself on the sofa and watch a bit of TV as soon as they're asleep for the night. Otherwise, I like working on my bikes in the shed with some music on and a cold non-alcoholic beer!
Robin
Sr. Engineer
Sit in a quiet room without any distractions!
Jordan
VP of Engineering
Healthy dissociation by fully falling into another world, either through books, video games, movies, or shows.
Dane
Sr. Revenue Operations Analyst
Being a customer support company, we also know that not everyone gets to step away from work during the holidays. In fact, for many teams, this is their busiest season.
While having to work through the holidays does make it harder to relax, our team still had some ideas for ways to make the experience a little more bearable.
As someone who worked through many a holiday in support, I'd say folks should consider adopting a "little treats" lifestyle — get the coffee with all the syrups, bring slippers to the office or wear them at home, and if there are cookies offered, take them!
In terms of work, really think about what needs to get done now to keep the ship moving and make a reasonable list for next-year you. Just because you're the one holding down the fort doesn't mean you need to fix all the problems while others are taking time away!
Annika
Customer Enablement Lead
If you haven't spent all your HSA/FSA money yet, an under-desk foot massager is a gift that keeps on giving (h/t Annabelle, Support Manager).
Justin
Engineer, II
For others, working the holidays IS their way of relaxing.
I'm working some of the holidays this year, and I do that every year as my own little moment of relaxation; it's typically a really chill time to work.
(At least it has been that way historically…🤞)
Melanie
Documentation Manager
Though Melanie generally enjoys working this time of year, she did have a few things she does to make it feel a bit more cozy:
I always grab a hot mug of tea to start and put on some music. This year I will be listening to a Christmas music playlist that c-team (what we call our support team) helped me pull together.
I normally run from holiday music, but the playlist is mostly Melanie (the singer my parents named me after) — a new album of her Christmas songs was released this year.
It will be relaxing and Christmasy while I work!
Melanie
Documentation Manager
We hope these ideas are helpful and that you’re able to find a few minutes for yourself before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve!
Alexa Ahrens
Alexa is a content strategist at Help Scout, where she writes and helps other authors tell stories about customer experience, technology, and company culture. Before working in support and content creation, she worked at a wax museum — an experience that prepared her surprisingly well for a life of storytelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
