9 favorite team building activities to reduce stress at work

Employee stress reached an all-time high in 2022. If your team is experiencing this in 2023, it’s time to roll up your sleeves. Team building activities can be great ways to reduce stress — spending some time with colleagues, having a laugh, or talking about life problems can all be game-changers. 

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Plus, it is possible to organize stress management games and wellness activities without breaking the bank. Here are some ideas for on-site and remote teams:

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Virtual stress relief activities for remote teams

From games to online webinars, there are many stress-relief activities to improve your remote team’s engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction. 

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1. Laugh and let your mind wander by playing Random Fairytales

If you’re familiar with Gartic Phone or the telephone game, you’ll know what to expect with Random Fairytales. While the name suggests a game for kids, we designed Random Fairytales to get your remote team’s creative juices flowing. Not to mention that they’ll be dying laughing. You’ll have a hard time finding a better start to your day than that. You can try Random Fairytales for free.

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2. Host a virtual office trivia

According to psychologists, trivia games can be huge dopamine boosters. By holding office trivia on a virtual platform, you will be giving your remote team a much-needed break and a chance to get to know each other better.

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3. Spend one-on-one time with your colleagues to chat and understand why they’re stressed

40% of remote workers miss spontaneous, in-person interactions with colleagues. If there is no interaction within the team, remote work often feels lonely, and this can cause stress. Spending one-on-one time with colleagues through virtual platforms can create a connection and help you understand their work stress. 

Stress-reducing activities for in-office teams

Your in-person or hybrid team also benefits from some fun, stress-relieving activities every once in a while.

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4. Encourage your team to exercise and do meditation.

Regular exercise can do wonders with your team’s mood, be it a stretching session before a meeting or forming a running group after work. Thanks to apps such as Strava, Calm, and Headspace, you can also do this for virtual teams.

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5. Make coffee or tea breaks a part of your company culture.

Thanks to coffee or tea breaks, your team will have a chance to chat and take a break after hours of hard work. 

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6. Host a potluck at work.

It’s no secret — food makes us happy! By hosting a potluck at the office, you’ll create a fun environment where your colleagues can build connections, eat together, and taste different cuisines.

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Quick ice breakers to calm the nerves

If you don’t have much time, try icebreaker activities or virtual water coolers before meetings to set the mood quickly.

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7.  Use Gifs and Emojis to communicate

Before starting a virtual meeting, ask your team to describe their mood by using an emoji or a gif. You can pick a theme —such as Harry Potter gifs or animal emojis— and let them express their feelings.

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8. What Do You Have in Common?

In this game, you split your team into groups and ask them to find 5-10 things in common with everyone in their group. If you want it to be a stress-related ice breaker, tell your colleagues to find work-related ideas, such as “my favorite mindful team building activity is…”

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9. Crowdsource a Story

In this journaling-inspired activity, your teammates will take turns contributing a few sentences to form a story.

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Most important of it all: make sure you understand why employees are stressed

These stress relief activities will only work if you know why your employees are stressed. Make sure to ask them or send out some surveys to get their feedback. For example, hosting a team building session after work may not be a good idea if they are overworked. For a healthy team culture, you need to know the problem to be able to solve it in the long term.

FAQs

How can team building exercises reduce stress?

Team building helps build trust and improve communication. As a result, work becomes more fun, and employees get the break they need. You can make team building activities even more creative by using engagement apps. 

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What are some good stress-reducing activities?

Depending on what’s stressing you out, you can try exercising, talking to others about your feelings, meditating, journaling, sparing more time for your hobbies, and adopting a healthier diet.

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What are 5 activities that promote stress management at work?

1. Prioritize tasks to keep your work day more organized.

2. Talk to your colleagues often and participate in team building activities.

3. Take regular breaks and use your time off to rest your body and mind.

4. Improve your time management skills by setting realistic deadlines.

5. Celebrate small wins. 

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What are the 4 A's for managing stress?

Avoid: Remove the stress-causing factor from your life.

Alter: If avoiding is not possible, try changing your behavior or asking others to change.

Accept: When you can’t avoid or alter, it means that you need to accept.

Adapt: Changing your expectations and mindset can help you cope with stress.

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