How To De-Stress: in 5 minutes or less
Life is busy. Working in bars and restaurants – where most of my clients spend their days - is SUPER busy. Managing your energy is not just about time off for holidays a few times a year. It’s about what you do through the day at work to maintain your energy levels.
How your brain works
Your pre-frontal cortex – the part of your brain that allows you to think logically, solve problems, manage stress and a whole host of ‘higher’ brain functions – is like a battery. It gets tired easily and needs breaks (about one every 60 minutes at least) to recharge.
Here are some ideas on micro-breaks from the head chefs and restaurant managers I’ve been working with for how they maintain their energy in their frenetic working days.
Box breathing – picture a box with equal sides, where the inhale, the holding of the breath, and exhale are all 4 counts. Inhale for 4, hold your breath for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. This is taught by the Special Forces to keep calm in combat.
Mindful moments – mindfulness is simply focussing intensely on what you are feeling in the moment. Head chefs told me that when service is crazy they keep calm (and clean) by washing their hands every 30 minutes. It’s a micro-break from the heat of the kitchen. To make it mindful simply focus intensely on the physical sensations. The temperature of the water, the slippiness of the soap suds, the skin on skin as your hands rub together...
Take a quick walk - if you’re feeling overwhelmed it’s always a good idea to go for a quick stroll around the block. You’ll get the benefits of alone time, physical activity, and a few minutes to gather your thoughts. Sometimes a few minutes away from work will help you to clear your thoughts and come back re-energised.
Try the five senses technique – notice five things you can see, notice four things you can feel, notice three things you can hear, notice two things you can smell and notice one thing you can taste. this technique is commonly used when people are on the verge of a panic attack, but it’s good for stress avoidance and managing energy.
CHALLENGE: set a timer and take a break every 60 minutes in your next working day. See what it does for you…
What’s stopping you taking a break? What’s it costing you? What will you try?
