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)們越來越需要減輕壓力。不堪重荷的白領(lǐng)正在賣力的爬著摩天大樓的樓梯,成群結(jié)隊在屋頂上露營,擁擠在餐館里,或是扮小孩,有些人甚至去墓園來釋放現(xiàn)代生活的壓力。
隨著國家經(jīng)濟的不斷發(fā)展,曾經(jīng)風靡一時的娛樂項目如卡拉OK,牌類游戲包括酒吧變得沒那么吸引了。
看看上海CAT RAIN CLUB里的會員。白天,這群佳麗是公司的主管,但是一入夜,她們爬上高樓,在屋頂渡過漫漫長夜。
“這是一種減輕壓力的好方法。當你坐在屋頂上,看著天空,跟好朋友聊天,你會覺得全身放松。”25歲的Gong Ying說道。
上海以外工作的人們也感到了工作的壓力。
在北京新開的一家餐館鼓勵顧客摔碟子——只要他們愿意支付換新碟子的費用。
盡管有人認為這項服務造成浪費,心理學家認為這種行為反應了白領(lǐng)們宣泄不滿、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活動。這項活動只允許成人參加,參加者可以整天地看漫畫和吃糖。
人們在觀賞公園、河流之類的風景區(qū)時能放松身心,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?shù)毓沟幕顒。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的計劃。
“屋頂露營者”CHEN BIN,一名從事IT市場營銷的專家,透露她已在屋頂露營約30次。當她不在星空下睡覺時,她還有其他能刺激其腎上腺激素的活動,像跑坡比賽和雙人滑冰。
“壓力讓人沮喪,但并不代表我們沒有解決的方法,”CHEN說,“生活應該是充滿想象力的。”