That 100% focus is probably it then, you're basically relieved from stress for the duration because you don't have time to think about it like when you're "idle".
And the risk of crashing because of wandering thoughts is a pretty good motivator to be focused 100% :)
> And working out gives me a sense of accomplishment completely divorced from my career, which I can carry with me all day in the way I feel physically.
That feeling!
While actually doing it you might, or might not, actually enjoy it, but that whole feeling in your body after you're done... it truly feels like a really rewarding accomplishment.
> Another outlet my dad once suggested was reading fiction as a way to remind yourself there's more to the world than your world and to keep things in context.
It works, but I find that fades pretty quickly, you need to do it really often to persist it.
Soccer is one of the few things I do that allows me to interact with people in a completely different professional field.
And working out gives me a sense of accomplishment completely divorced from my career, which I can carry with me all day in the way I feel physically.
All of these help provide context to my life (and reality), which I think helps me deal with stress at work. Another outlet my dad once suggested was reading fiction as a way to remind yourself there's more to the world than your world and to keep things in context.
Some ask how you have time for these activities with work. I ask how you can work without these activities.
Edit: Formatting and expansion.