Some people seek spiritual solace. Chuck Ughetta goes to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Vigorous exercise, of course, is a time- honored break from the office grind. Every day, untold thousands of workers troop off to the gym or the indoor swimming pool or just to a nearby park for a quick jog or fast walk. Since 1987, membership in gyms and health clubs has nearly doubled to roughly 33 million from just over 17 million, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.
Window shopping is another standby.
Cynthia Reed, a word processor at the Falconwood Corporation in Manhattan, a merchant banking company, likes to browse in Saks Fifth Avenue. Then I just wander though the store, looking at the clothes and at the interesting people who come to that store from all over the world. Behavioral specialists say what you do is less significant than whether you do it. What is important, they say, is to shift gears to do something so radically different that you'll put work out of your mind. If you can't leave your office, leave the room or switch chairs.