FEELING THE FEELS
AN INDUSTRY GUIDE TO FEELING THE FEELS
DONT RUN FROM THIS TOPIC
Its okay—- you’re safe here.
We are in an industry that forces us to be “on” all the time. We’re expected to have a personality that screams I’M IN A GOOD MOOD AND HAPPY TO BE HERE. Sure, for the most part we are excited to be at work. Thats the entire reason we picked this career, right? We enjoy serving others and look forward to doing so (The money helps a bit too).
We sometimes get trapped in the cycle of pushing our problems and emotions aside to get through shifts. This bleeds into our day to day life. It becomes second nature to ignore the not so great feelings and force ourselves to show nothing but good. After awhile, it tends to catch up with us. When we suppress the feelings and emotions that need to be let out, we’re bottling them up. This can lead to outbursts, isolating, or continuing to mask with things that momentarily make us “feel good”.
DON’T RUN FROM THEM
We’ve all had that really rough day. Maybe your car wouldn’t start this morning, the shift was short staffed, everything that could go wrong went wrong. Whats the first thing we do? Grab the bottle or the brownie. We reject the opportunity to feel through the emotions and let it go when we mask it to “ feel good” momentarily. The only way out is through. Seriously. Emotions are supposed to ebb and flow. When we try to control the outcome by avoidance and masking, it's still there.
2. RESPOND DON’T REACT
Sometimes guests can take advantage of our niceness; knowing that we can’t react back. We can respond though. If we take a step back and observe the situation, we can come up with a healthy way to respond. Using our words in a constructive manner can help validate our feelings more than reacting can. Responding gives us freedom to feel without suppressing.
3. FIND SOME SOLITUDE
Take time for yourself and acknowledge your emotions. These can be emotions caused in the work place or in your day to day life. What are you feeling? Sit with the feelings. Observe your emotions without beating yourself up and asking why. Your feelings are valid. This could be before your shift, after your shift, during your shift in the cooler, and on your off days.
When we spend so much time avoiding and running from our emotions, it can be very overwhelming once we make the decision to take the time and address them. Surround yourself with people who spark joy in your life and leave the judgements out of it. You’re never alone. The more you feel, the more you heal, the more you will have control of your own life and emotions.
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NOT YOUR AVERAGE SAFE SPACE
August 30th
Grove Park 6-8pm