People in demanding jobs are at an elevated risk of burnout. They experience mental fatigue while at work and these symptoms may be due to anxiety, frustration, or overall stress.

Peta-Gay Boyd-Lewis, who is a financial advisor at Sagicor Jamaica Limited, said that playing a game of dominoes can help people recharge their minds, as the reduction of stress makes them feel better.

“Well, for me whenever the workload is too much I turn to dominoes. It is what helps me to relax the stress after a hectic workday. Yes, domino-playing is a great stress reliever. When you are playing dominoes you forget about everything else and just focus on the game,” said Boyd-Lewis.

Boyd-Lewis, who is the captain and assistant manager for Sagicor Jamaica Limited currently participating in the National Association of Domino Bodies (NADB) Kingston and St Andrew Region Business House League, said playing dominoes does not only do wonders for releasing stress, but also for the working environment as employees are more focused, and so getting a task done is more efficient.

“Well, for my company [Sagicor Jamaica Limited], I think it [playing dominoes] will help in the sense that they [the management] didn’t see dominoes as a sport and so it wasn’t recognised.

“But since we started this team and playing in the NADB competition, they [management] now have a different view about and recognising that like football and netball, dominoes is a sport and so it has been more popularised within the company.

“Dominoes helps to build learning abilities, it’s like doing mathematics in school where you have to think about a formula and apply it and so it is the same in the work environment,” Boyd-Lewis shared with the Jamaica Observer.

The financial advisor also said that since she started playing dominoes, she has seen some improvement within her workplace.

“Yes, I saw improvement because dominoes helps you to stay focused and to remember what happened throughout the game. So for work, it helps with remembering things and to keep the focus on your work,” she said.

The 40-year-old noted that her team’s chances of winning this year’s NADB Division Two League is second to none.

“I am playing dominoes from a very tender age, at age seven to be exact. I love to play dominoes because I love it. My dad (Varley Boyd, now deceased) used to play dominoes and he’s the person I wanted to be as good as.

“I think my team is mentally and spiritually ready for this season and we will win without a doubt. With God on our side, we can overcome any battle,” she ended.