09/14/2020
👉First let's move past the paycheck part (though ill come back to that)
There is a level of care, love of attention to detail, humor, and social interaction which are Vitally important to the people who gravitate towards this sector.
There are also high levels of artistic and social fulfillment (even though we love to b*tch about it) associated with these careers.
💙 For many these jobs were also a large part of self Identity and 80% of their social life. These workers have lost far far more than their source of income- many have literally lost themselves to the pandemic.💙
Check in often with your service friends- Even if they have a strong outward face or have some other bit of income:
They're not O.K. right now.
👨🚒As a Medic- I'm seeing a large uptick in psychological and emotional emergencies particularly among service sector workers in my area. Typically the main call is panic attack- which is a very real (if temporary) physical manifestation of mental stress..
We learn that so called panic attacks are a benign (though not to the person experiencing them!) early warning sign that the coping methods of this person are at their limit.
👉The 4 Dark horses of the mental apocalypse: Anxiety, Stress, Isolation, Low self worth.
These 4 left un-supported and uncared for can and do become depression, various disassociative disorders, social rage/anger, depression, lack of motivation, etc.
and left unchecked can develop into even darker mental states including self harm.
👨🍳As a Chef I also speak from personal experience: The amount my work was my social outlet was no small thing.
I used to joke that "I didn't like going out because my job was throwing parties"- which was true, but that was when the creative and social aspects needed in my life where being fulfilled by my job.
Now like many, there are moments of despair, rage, frustration, all of those things as we flail about in isolation knowing damn well Its not coming back anytime soon.
cont'-
❤❤So! What can we do?
Here's some suggestions based on psychology and my personal experience of what works:
👉 #1 Make and schedule a daily routine like a work week.
*using your phone calender is good for this, make a routine and set days for things like Monday 10 am: clean kitchen, or Thursday Midnight re-shave the cat. And stick with it.
👉 #2-Excercise every morning
This can be stretching the 3 yoga poses you actually can do ok-ish or 200 press ups like a beast, but make it something you can do every day.
👉 #3- Allow yourself to be "In your feelings" If you wake up feeling depressed a.f.- Thats ok. don't fight it or ignore it; set a timer and give yourself a time limit of how much you're just gonna go with it. Put on sad music, eat ice cream for breakfast, whatever but set a limit; and go for it. I learned this technique from Cheri Huber; a buddhist teacher and let me tell you; it really helps.
👉 #4 Make a checklist of goals and check them off as you do them.
This one right here is AMAZING for self esteem. The daily goals should be a mix of easy and some more challenging; but all REPEATABLE.
Like for example:
-Feed/walk the dog,
-Write a cookbook page
-Call a friend
-Do 20 crunches, etc, etc
Be sure to cross them off as you finish! This really does give you a feeling of having accomplished *something*
👉 #5- Go for a walk at least 30min. Yep. Thats it. Do it. Nature is best; but anything will do.
👉 #6- Do a daily kindness for a stranger.
👉 #7-Erase FB from your phone when you feel overwhelmed. You can keep it on your laptop if you want; but social media operates on feedback loops, so if you're feelin a way you want to change FB wont help its algorithms will feed you more of whatever is keeping you looking.
👉 #8 Reach out. This one is the hardest. You are allowed. If you need to compliment fish 🐟 or a hug ASK FOR IT. More people will understand than wont.
Yours in Service,
Chef Christian Graze
