Stress and Pizza

Watching people get stressed in public is fascinating.

I’m still doing 30 days of Thanksgiving. How about you?

WHAT I’M THANKFUL FOR THIS WEEK:

1. I’m grateful that I never go hungry.

2. I’m thankful for my friend Anne, who is always up for an adventure and is willing to drive us to them all. 

3. I’m grateful for my friend Connie, who has served as a mentor, sounding board, reality checker, and loyal supporter for almost twenty years. 

4. I’m thankful for mindless easy reads like Jack Reacher, who reliably appears in a new literary tome every October. 

5. I appreciate professional wrestling and the community I’ve built there over the years. I am incredibly grateful that I get to share my knowledge and creative talents, even though I’m definitely retired. 

6. I’m thankful for past and present co-workers who have affirmed me, kept me in check, and laughed at my jokes.

7. Finally, I’m grateful for old movies, as comforting as it is to know what’s about to happen.  

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Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

As I’m writing this on Sunday night, I’m sitting in Donato’s, waiting on my cheese pizza to come out of the oven.  I like it here; it’s usually reasonably quiet because no one ever dines in.  But tonight, there must be a dozen DoorDashers here for pick-up orders. 

The staff is stressed, the drivers are stressed, and it’s impressive to watch how each person handles their level of anxiety. There’s the large bearded man who asserts himself by yelling out the names of his orders, whether it’s his turn or not.  There’s the grumpy, older guy who can’t believe they have his orders ready.  And there’s the quiet gentleman blocking the counter so no one else can get to the register, though I’m not sure he’s doing it on purpose.  And a young couple just walked in, probably looking to pick up their own order bypassing the delivery service.  One driver got handed an order, but it was for the wrong customer.  It was close, but no cigar.  It’s nuts in here.

Have you ever noticed what stressed-out people do in public?  And have you ever wondered how you look when you feel that level of anxiety in the same places?  It’s probably not very attractive.  

Here are three methods you might use to manage stressful situations.

One, avoid avoid avoid. For example, when I walked in here and saw the multitude of people waiting for food, I should have turned around and crossed the street to Arby’s.  But I’ve already eaten there three times this weekend, and I needed to write this reflection anyway . . .so here I am.  Luckily, I’m in no hurry and am not allowing the stress of others to impact me.  But if you can avoid a stressful scenario because it’s unnecessary for you to participate, do it!

Two, take a deep breath and remember your gratitude mantras.  Be thankful for an opportunity to be patient with someone who is making life more challenging for you.  Be appreciative that whatever you’re doing is better than digging graves or working on electrical poles in the rain.  (Use whatever metaphor fits best for you.)

Thirdly, empathize.  Instead of focusing on your stress, imagine what it must be like to work in a situation where the pressure is this high.  And then imagine that they are not making much money to deal with all of the nonsense they put up with day to day.  Put yourself in their shoes, and I suspect your anger, impatience, and other negative emotions you’re experiencing might subside.

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UPDATE: As I was leaving, I overheard the manager on the phone with a dissatisfied customer. They said their pizza was cold; of course it was. The drivers were picking up two - three orders at a time with no warming bags. DoorDash is a problem for so many reasons. And then . . . I spoke with her and learned that last night some man came down and threatened her, banging on the windows, screaming until the police came and made him leave. He waited outside for her and now she’s worried for her safety. For a job that probably pays her less than $15 an hour.

And we wonder why no one wants to work these days? People have lost their minds.

This content is for educational and entertainment purposes and is not the same as therapy. If you need to talk to someone, go to BetterHelp.com or PsychologyToday.com and start treatment with a professional today!

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