One "survival" skill I'm trying is to make sure I get up an lap the cube farm at least once an hour...on days where I'm sunk in a project and lose track of time (I know this sounds crazy), I set a timer for about every hour or so.

I did find that if I carry a file in hand, it does give the impression of being busy while doing so .

in the short term, working in a cubicle doesn't really bother me. A call centre, on the other hand... won't go back.

I agree that decorating it as much as possible with personalized touches is very important - 2wanderers and I are in the process of getting some photos of our recent adventure printed. I think also a poster or 2 of exotic far off places to dream about would be nice.
At the moment, I'm temping, so I don't even officially have a cubicle to call my own. just a space that's mine for a few weeks at a time.

In the long run, though, ideally, I would like to own my own business, or at least work independently enough to have a home office, or be in a position to choose my own office space. Then I'd make sure to have lots of open space, windows, and possibly a dog (I would love to work for a cool company whose owner brings his/her dog to work - how can you be stressed when there is a dog to play with?)

My receptionist and I each just got yoga balls for the office. We sit on them at our desks, and also take breaks for stretching. I highly recommend it. Being able to bounce, bend, lean over and roll all help deal with the misery of a confined space. Plus, theres a guy here who NEVER has excercised a day in his life. Watching him try to maneuver the ball into a backbend is hilarious.