Here we are in the stressful time of year. All your projects are due in the next two weeks, you're busy in your retail job because it's the shopping season for the big Christmas holiday, and you have to decide what you're doing for semester break. Whew! I'm already tired just telling you why you're stressed.
The restaurant business is a little busier this time of year as well. People get pretty hungry after all that shopping and don't want to cook. Plus, we just survived "Family Weekend" late in the year. Cooking in a restaurant is the second most stressful job in the country. Maybe third. Emergency room physicians is undoubtedly the first.
I work in a restaurant, but not on "the line" where it's most stressful. I get to back up those people and try to keep their stress levels a little lower. Sometimes, however, the stress gets the best of a cook and he or she just walks out. Nobody would blame that person for walking out, and that person might even be missed by co-workers. It's just stress.
If you've taken Psych. 101, you know every little thing causes stress. I'm stressed writing this column right now because I'm so tired. It's taking way too much energy to think, and that is stressing me out. But, it's for you and that makes me take a breath and keep going. But I digress. Good stress is fun. It makes you less tired. It may even energize you a little.
Picture it: you're in your room studying your brains out, stressing about your test tomorrow and your phone rings. It's your mom or dad. They have good news for you. You get excited, experience happiness and suddenly studying your brains out isn't so hard. It may even give you the second wind you needed to finish reading the last three lines of the chapter before doing the practice quiz.
And, we're all tired from eating too much turkey over the last few days. You know it has that chemical that makes you sleepy. I can't remember what it's called, but it starts with a "T". Anyway, now we have to eat a load of junk food to get that chemical out of our systems and wake up to go back to class. I actually did almost fall asleep in class today, and I had just eaten a brownie.
So, between the stress and the turkey, we don't know what to do. Should we sleep? Can't... don't have time. Should we run around outside in the cold and rain for a wake up call? Maybe, but the wait at the health center is always so long. How about if we just go for a quick drive to Incredible Yogurt and ask for a shake and an extra crispy pickle? That sounds fun... especially for pregnant people.
There are easy ways to handle stress, you just have to find what works best for you. I'm handling my stress right now by writing this while I wait to hear about buying a truck. Yeah, shopping for a new(er) vehicle. That opens a whole 'nother can of worms on stress!
Write to Billie at
billiecol02@yahoo.com
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