Breaks, Boundaries, and a Good Laugh: What We Need More of at Work
A few years ago, I led a team building activity by asking everyone a question that had nothing to do with deliverables or deadlines:
“If your Myers-Briggs type were a baked good, what would it be?”
I'm grateful that everyone was open to participating, because as we went around the room sharing our baked goods, we shared a lot of laughter and we learned a bit more about each of our team members.
One person was an INTJ who proudly shared that he was a rich fruit cake. Another person was an ENFJ and a joyful collection of cake pops. Me? I'm an ENTJ - World's Tallest Wedding Cake. Show stopper: ambitious, inspiring, strives to be the best. Will plan long-term to realize the vision." That's me, 100%. Check out the Bake Type Table from the Myers-Briggs Company to find out what delicious treat represents you.
Even a few years later, it's still one of the most joyful team-building moments I’ve ever facilitated. It was during a period of transition for our organization, and this one simple activity gave us a moment of levity and revealed more about each other than any project debrief ever could.
It reminded me that humor isn’t a distraction from hard work - it’s often a lifeline through it.
And during Stress Awareness Month and National Humor Month, I’m thinking about the relationship between stress, boundaries, and the moments that let us exhale.
Legally Blond on Giphy
Data Highlights: Why Laughter Matters
🧠 77% of U.S. adults report the future of our nation as a significant source of stress, and 73% identified the economy as a close second. This was October 2024, imagine what those numbers would be like today.
→ APA: Stress in America, 2024
💼 Work is a top source of stress, with 44% of U.S. workers feeling burned out at work and 45% feeling "emotionally drained" from their work.
→ SHRM: Employee Mental Health Research Series
😂 Laughter reduces stress hormones and boosts endorphins, enhancing mood and resilience - even a small dose of humor can lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety.
→ Mayo Clinic: Stress Relief from Laughter
🛑 Unmanaged stress contributes to workplace absenteeism, reduced productivity, and long-term health issues, particularly among women and marginalized workers.
→ Talkspace: "What is the impact of stress in the workplace?"
APA: Stress in America 2023
Equity & Inclusion: Not All Stress is Created Equal
⚖️ Chronic stress is not experienced equally. Black and Latino/a/e workers, adults with disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ workers report higher levels of stress due to workplace bias, microaggressions, and systemic inequities.
→ APA: Stress in America, 2023
👩🏽🦱 Women and caregivers are more likely to experience stress “spillover,” where emotional labor at home compounds stress at work.
→ AARP: Caregiver Mental Health
🏥 Access to mental health care is still deeply unequal due to cost, provider shortages, and cultural mismatch, especially in communities of color.
→ KFF: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Care
😂 Humor in the workplace often reinforces cultural norms and power dynamics - who gets to joke, and who is punished for it, can depend on age, race, gender, and status.
New York Post
Boundary Highlight: Don't Let Humor Mask Real Problems
Stress can sneak up on us, and humor can sometimes be the pressure valve to release it.
But humor and laughter are not a substitute for real boundaries. When we're constantly pushing through without pause, we normalize chronic stress. And when we use humor to mask burnout, it can delay much-needed rest or help.
🚫 Setting boundaries around stress might mean:
Saying “no” to unrealistic deadlines
Choosing rest over people-pleasing
Creating space for joy, laughter, or just quiet - even in the middle of your work day
Taking a mental health day
New Girl on Giphy
Law & Policy: Creating the Infrastructure for Workplace Mental Health
💸 The U.S. has no federal law guaranteeing paid mental health days, although some states and companies have begun offering “wellness leave” or mental health PTO. I was fortunate to work for a company with this benefit.
🧠 Mental health parity laws require insurance coverage, but access and quality still vary widely.
→ National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): "What is mental health parity?"
💼 The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may cover chronic stress, anxiety, or depression when they substantially limit daily activities—but accommodations aren’t automatic.
→ EEOC: Depression, PTSD, & Other Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace: Your Legal Rights
🏢 Some employers now offer paid mental health days, designated self-care days, "timeout days," and "respite rooms," but these are still rare and often underutilized due to stigma.
→ American Society of Employers: Mental Health in the Workplace: A Growing Priority for Employers
Take Action: Laugh More and Stress Less
✅ Individual
Use your paid time off if you have it, and if you are in a position to advocate for better time off benefits - do so
Carve out time for laughter, movement, or silence: 5-minute dance breaks, chair yoga, and just resting your eyes are all in order
Create “tech-free” windows to give your brain a break
🏢 Organizational
Normalize conversations about stress and boundaries, for example, by establishing employee mental health resource groups
Offer flexible scheduling, inclusive paid time off, and/or organization-wide mental health days
Create space for joy - team games, dance breaks, and laughter yoga are all great options
🌍 Systemic
Advocate for federal paid mental health leave
Expand access to culturally competent mental health care
Fund public health campaigns about stress, equity, and rest
Joy is the Bottom Line
One of my absolute joys in life is co-hosting Nerd Nite St. Pete with a dynamo group of women who help me feel seen, heard, and valued while we work together to create something that brings so many people joy. On a recent Nerd Nite, we had Ilene Mitnick, who told us we don't need a lifeline, we need a *laugh" line. What a joy! Here's a short clip to humor you.
A short video showing a crowd of people pretending to take a selfie and laughing.