White-collar workers going to great lengths for stress relief
Stressed out white-collar workers are scaling skyscrapers, camping out on rooftops, smashing up restaurants, pretending to be children and even visiting cemeteries in a bid to relieve the pressure of modern life.
As the country's economy continues to steam ahead, once popular forms of entertainment, such as karaoke, card games and even boxing bars, appear to be losing their appeal.
Consider the members of Shanghai's Cat Rain club. By day, this group of young women works executive jobs, but by night they climb buildings so they can spend the night on the roof.
"It's a good way to release our pressure. You feel relaxed when you're sitting on the roof, looking up to the sky and chatting with intimate friends," said Gong Ying, 25.
The stress of work is not just limited to people in Shanghai.
A recently opened restaurant in Beijing encourages customers to smash plates - as long as they are willing to pay to replace them.
Though there has been some debate about the extravagance of such services, some psychologists say the activity reflects the desire of some white-collar workers to vent their angst.
Some workers even appear eager to return to their childhoods. This May, hundreds of people took part in a festival in which adults pretended to be children. It was an adults-only event, and participants could read comics and eat sweets all day.
Scenic places such as parks and rivers can also help people relax and put things in perspective. But a cemetery?
Cemetery companies in Shanghai organized visits to local graveyards for stressed-out workers in March. The participants were taken to quiet spots in the cemetery where they could contemplate life and their futures.
Roof-camper Chen Bin, an IT marketing professional, said she had camped out on a rooftop about 30 times. When she's not sleeping out under the stars, she also has several other adrenalin-fueled interests, such as downhill racing and paragliding.
"Pressure may bring us distress, but it doesn't mean we can't find ways out," Chen says. "Life should be imaginative."
白領(lǐng)們?cè)絹?lái)越需要減輕壓力。不堪重荷的白領(lǐng)正在賣(mài)力的爬著摩天大樓的樓梯,成群結(jié)隊(duì)在屋頂上露營(yíng),擁擠在餐館里,或是扮小孩,有些人甚至去墓園來(lái)釋放現(xiàn)代生活的壓力。
隨著國(guó)家經(jīng)濟(jì)的不斷發(fā)展,曾經(jīng)風(fēng)靡一時(shí)的娛樂(lè)項(xiàng)目如卡拉OK,牌類(lèi)游戲包括酒吧變得沒(méi)那么吸引了。
看看上海CAT RAIN CLUB里的會(huì)員。白天,這群佳麗是公司的主管,但是一入夜,她們爬上高樓,在屋頂渡過(guò)漫漫長(zhǎng)夜。
“這是一種減輕壓力的好方法。當(dāng)你坐在屋頂上,看著天空,跟好朋友聊天,你會(huì)覺(jué)得全身放松。”25歲的Gong Ying說(shuō)道。
上海以外工作的人們也感到了工作的壓力。
在北京新開(kāi)的一家餐館鼓勵(lì)顧客摔碟子——只要他們?cè)敢庵Ц稉Q新碟子的費(fèi)用。
盡管有人認(rèn)為這項(xiàng)服務(wù)造成浪費(fèi),心理學(xué)家認(rèn)為這種行為反應(yīng)了白領(lǐng)們宣泄不滿(mǎn)、焦躁情緒的欲望。
有些白領(lǐng)甚至希望回到童年。今年五月,成百上千的群眾參加了大人扮兒童的一個(gè)活動(dòng)。這項(xiàng)活動(dòng)只允許成人參加,參加者可以整天地看漫畫(huà)和吃糖。
人們?cè)谟^賞公園、河流之類(lèi)的風(fēng)景區(qū)時(shí)能放松身心,盡情游覽。但在墓園里面?
上海一間殯儀館公司在三月為壓力大的工人們組織了一次參觀當(dāng)?shù)毓沟幕顒?dòng)。參加者被帶往到墓園里靜謐的角落,在那里他們可以思考生命的意義和未來(lái)的計(jì)劃。
“屋頂露營(yíng)者”CHEN BIN,一名從事IT市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷(xiāo)的專(zhuān)家,透露她已在屋頂露營(yíng)約30次。當(dāng)她不在星空下睡覺(jué)時(shí),她還有其他能刺激其腎上腺激素的活動(dòng),像跑坡比賽和雙人滑冰。
“壓力讓人沮喪,但并不代表我們沒(méi)有解決的方法,”CHEN說(shuō),“生活應(yīng)該是充滿(mǎn)想象力的。”