The Daily Valet. - 7/11/22, Monday

✔️ Dealing With Work Stress

July 11, 2022

Monday, July 11th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

This Monday feels particularly Monday-ish, right?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Work Stress at an All-Time High

But there are evidence-based strategies to help you deal with stress and actually recover from burnout

It’s Monday morning. Last week, we were off, so I don’t have to tell you that workplace stress is real and rampant. But workers around the world are more stressed than ever, according to a new Gallup report.

The State of the Global Workplace: 2022 reports that worldwide, more than 44% of workers say that they have a problem with daily stress at work. That’s a record high and up slightly from 43% in 2020, which was its own record at the time. (The U.S. and Canada are home to the world’s most stressed-out workers.)

Among workers surveyed, 60% report feeling “emotionally detached” while at work, and 19% consistently feel “miserable.” The report notes that these findings are concerning given that, on average, people spend a staggering 81,396 hours of their lives working. The only activity we spend more time doing is sleeping.

We could all use a chance to unplug and unwind, but here’s the rub: the weekend doesn’t always deliver. In fact, recovery from work tends to be the most difficult and elusive for those who need it most. “We call it the ‘recovery paradox,’” one psychologist tells Knowable magazine. “The odds are high that when a job is stressful, it’s difficult to have an excellent recovery.”

The key, it seems is to up the quality of your free time. Developing new skills or devoting yourself to something can be helpful. A 2019 study found that people who achieved some sort of mastery during their off time were more energetic and enthusiastic the next morning.

Then there’s the process that psychologists call “detachment.” The benefits of tuning out when you’re off the clock became clear in a 2018 report involving more than 26,000 employees in various lines of work. The analysis found that detachment was a powerful buffer against work-related fatigue. The workers who left work thoughts at the office were less worn out than their colleagues. Of course, this makes me think of the show Severance, which took this idea to a whole other level. Perhaps, for now, all we can do is try to stay present when we’re not working and hope for the four-day workweek to catch on in more places.

↦ Try It: According to Fast Company, tracking your stress at work might actually help your productivity.

Troubling Chemical Found in Most Americans’ Urine

The weed killer ingredient has been linked to a higher risk of cancer

I don't mean to kick off your week with even more stress, but more than 80% of urine samples drawn from children and adults in a U.S. health study contained a weedkilling chemical known as glyphosate. And scientists are calling the findings both “disturbing” and “concerning”.

The chemical is the active ingredient in weedkillers sold around the world (you've probably heard of Roundup) and more than 200 million pounds of the stuff is used by American farmers every year. Glyphosate has also been linked to a higher risk of developing cancer. Two years ago, Bayer (in the aftermath of its purchase of Monsanto) spent billions of dollars to settle legal claims over glyphosate causing cancer.

If you don't do much gardening or lawn maintenance, you might think your urine's clean but a 2018 report from the New York Times found traces of the chemical in Cheerios, Quaker Oats and other breakfast foods.

“I expect that the realization that most of us have glyphosate in our urine will be disturbing to many people,” University of Washington's Lianne Sheppard told The Guardian. As for whether or not this leads to any industry-wide changes, however, remains to be seen.

↦ FYI: There is also scientific evidence linking glyphosate to mass deaths among bees.

Djokovic Wins 7th Wimbledon Title

Novak Djokovic defeats Nick Kyrgios and closes the gap on Grand Slam titles

Novak Djokovic used his patience and keen strategy to beat the ace-delivering, trick-shot-hitting Nick Kyrgios on Sunday for a fourth consecutive Wimbledon championship and seventh overall.

According to ESPN, the top-seeded Djokovic ran his unbeaten run at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 28 matches and raised his career haul to 21 major trophies—breaking a tie with Roger Federer and moving just one behind Rafael Nadal's 22 for the most in the history of men's tennis.

A day earlier, Elena Rybakina won the women's singles final, claiming her first grand slam title and the first for Kazakhstan. The 23-year-old beat Ons Jabeur (No. 3 in the world) in three sets.

Rybakina, who was born in Russia but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018. According to NPR, the switch has been a topic of conversation during Wimbledon, because it barred all players who represent Russia or Belarus from entering the tournament due to the war in Ukraine.

↦ Dig Deeper: Kurt Streeter argues that Kyrgios and Jabeur brought a fresh diversity to the tournament, but Wimbledon needs more Arthur Ashe moments.

The Luxe Airstream of the Future

The solar-powered travel trailer makes its own drinking water from the air

Living Vehicle builds extremely high-end trailers. The California-based company, founded in 2017 by founders who combined a love of the open road with architectural training to create one of the most sophisticated and technologically superior trailers on the market.

And their latest home away from home takes “self-sufficient” to a whole new level. With more available battery power than some electric vehicles, up to 3,400 watts of deployable solar charging and a list of appliances that reads like a luxury vacation home, they've now added a water generator that makes clean drinking water from ambient humidity, even in the desert.

How? Originally a military-grade technology, the atmospheric water generator pulls moisture in with a fan, extracts it via condensation, runs it through a multi-step filtration and purification process, and dispenses clean water as conveniently as a water cooler or tap.

That means that travelers can live off-grid for as long as they please. According to Robb Report, the trailer is equipped with an impressive mobile office (or Creative Studio as LV calls it), along with a cantilevered open-air deck, home theater and a spa-like bathroom.

↦ Buy: The base price for the 2023 Living Vehicle starts at $339,995.

In Other News

↦ Elon Musk Wants Out of the Twitter Deal. It Could End Up Costing Him at Least $1 Billion.

↦ Why Sri Lanka’s Economy Collapsed and What’s Next

↦ A Suicide and Crisis Hotline Is Coming Called 988. Here’s Everything to Know About It.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Body hair

Aperol snow cones

Haruki Murakami’s vinyl playlist

Make a Bucket List

We’re already halfway through July ... what are you waiting for?

There's something about summer that brings out my spirit of adventure. Perhaps it's a holdover from the early days of childhood, when school would let out and a surge of freedom washed over me. The world—or at least our neighborhood—was our oyster, remember?

With ample time at our disposal, we'd inevitably make new friends, discover new things and probably get into a little trouble. But, in the end, it was a transformative experience.

That's what I want for you, even now as an adult. Of course, the idleness of childhood gets shelved as responsibilities accumulate. Summer is still full of hope, no matter how old you are, but we so rarely take full advantage. As part of our Summer Survival Guide, we're encouraging you to make a bucket list.

There's still plenty of time for adventures before Labor Day. And as you read in today's big story, doing new things during your time off is what truly refreshes you and recharges your batteries. So start planning.

↦ Read: Your list has to reflect your own sensibilities and desires, but the team put together a few classic suggestions.

Are Your Ready for Amazon Prime Day(s)?

As if you needed a reason to shop more on Amazon, the annual Prime Day bacchanalia of deals is upon us. Of course, I don't have to tell you that this sale has gotten huge since it launched in 2015. While Amazon doesn't disclose Prime Day revenue, the retailer told Inc. that customers bought 250 million items during the two-day event last July.

A piece of advice? Make sure you have a game plan. Think of it like walking into Costco or some warehouse store—you should always be prepared or you'll get distracted and end up with stuff you don't need/want. Prime Day should be no different; the members-only sale is notorious for hiding great bargains among a lot of lackluster deals. Here is what's in our cart thus far.