Work doesn't have to feel like something you have stress through

Flow into your work and find balance

Advocate for Support & Kindness

Stress occurs from multiple places for restaurant workers.

This includes customers doing everything from rude comments to screaming at us to them getting in our physical space in a threatening or aggressive way. Internal stressors include conflicts of team members with their co-workers or bosses, slower ticket times due to “being in the weeds,” and equipment or technology malfunctions.

Talk to the Leaders!

Everyone deserves a healthy workplace environment. Advocate for yourself and your coworkers for a safe zone at work, where you are shown kindness and always feel supported!

Ditch Stress

Chronic stress can lead to burnout, decreased immunity, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and more. It is labeled a “silent killer” as it amplifies the symptoms associated with our society's top causes of death.

Being in constant states of high anxiety is detrimental to our bodies. Research also shows that restaurant workers have one of the highest rates of substance use disorders in the United States because they use drugs and alcohol to try and cope with the job.

Learn the warning signs of constant stress in the body

• Emotional changes (feeling sad, afraid, tense, or all of the above)
• Fatigue or restlessness
• Crying often or losing your temper
• Skin rashes
• Digestive problems (heartburn, stomach cramps, and even ulcers)
• Difficulty concentrating
• Chronic headaches
• Nervous habits such as nail biting or teeth grinding
• Hair loss

Find healthy ways to deal with stress.

• Drink water.
• Limit unhealthy foods and caffeine intake while on shift. It is typically easy to reach for these items on a shift, but replace them with choices like nuts, apple slices, veggie sticks and other health options.
• Get adequate sleep.
• Exercise at least three times a week.
• Find hobbies you enjoy.
• Laugh! Laughter can help limit the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

Taking a "Walk-In" Moment

Standing in the walk-in cooler can bring down your stress. It muffles the noise happening at the moment and brings down anxiety by being in a cold space. Exposure to cold causes a shift in your parasympathetic nervous system. This shift is because it cools the vagus nerve, the main nerve responsible for relaxing our body after experiencing a lot of stress. You can also achieve this by putting ice on the back of your neck.

Group physical activity and laughter

As restaurant owners, we must provide ways for our team to burn off stress with a bit of physical activity. A basketball hoop behind the restaurant or smaller items like jump ropes or hula hoops. A small jump rope “competition” between team members can decrease stress by giving the group physical activity and laughter.

Wild Fire Moods

A mood, whether good or bad, can spread like wildfire in an environment. This is because "mirror neurons" in our brains will mimic the mood of others around us, causing an emotional contagion.

Empathy & Helping Others

Empathy is the ability to understand another person's thoughts and feelings in a situation from their point of view, rather than your own. It differs from sympathy, where one is moved by the thoughts and feelings of another but maintains an emotional distance.

Give Back to your community. Reach out to local organization who need help. Set up a team donation drive for a good cause!

Notice five things using each of your senses.

What are things you see, feel, hear, taste, and smell.

Mindfulness

Breath to release stress.

Hold your breath, and silently count from 1 to 7. Breathe out completely as you silently count from 1 to 8. Try to get all the air out of your lungs by the time you count to 8. Repeat 3 to 7 times or until you feel calm.

Breath Breath Breath

"5 Things"

Start with your feet and take inventory of how each part of your body feels as you scan to the top of your head, and back down to your feet.

Take a body scan

Can you take a quick walk?

Outside with fresh air is ideal!

Can you find a quiet place to do a quick meditation?

Easy Tips for Success

Say please and thank you when talking to your team.

Be generous with accolades and giving credit.

Create opportunities.

Ask them often if there is anything that you can do to make their job better.

Create a safe place where your team feels empowered to speak up and be engaged.

Be flexible and understanding when important or unexpected/upsetting events pop up for one of your team members.

Connect with your team members and show interest in their life outside of work. Ask about their family or that concert they were excited to go to.

Have a Weekly Team Question

Examples are what is their favorite band, favorite type of food, favorite dish, and where their dream vacation is? We have found our team loves seeing what others say, and it encourages discourse between the group.

Heal & Thrive!

Support your well-being with solutions that makes sense!

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