Work as a stress reliever?

I've written a couple of entries so far about how I have a very busy schedule. And with schoolwork and a part-time job, I do. However, I realized last night that one of the things that adds to my business - my job - can actually be a stress reliever sometimes. I work at the South Side Soda Shop and Diner here in Goshen, and at times it is a very busy restaurant. However, there are times that it can be very slow as well. And then there are shifts where it's right in between, the perfect balance between a relaxed and hectic work pace. Last night was one of those shifts, and I realized that it is days like that where my job can actually be a great stress reliever.

One of the best part about my job is my coworkers. The majority of the other employees are college students as well, and we all get along very well. A great couple, Nick and Charity Boyd, own the restaurant and all the employees have great relationships with them. Because there is such a great staff, it is usually enjoyable to go into work. But what really makes my job relaxing is that when I go to work, it's like an escape from the rest of my life. For four hours, all I have to do is cook food. I don't have to do any homework, open any textbooks, edit any papers, or go out with my friends. It's just me, my coworkers, and our customers.

Each evening when I get to work, my first job is usually to cut onions. It seems like boring job, and it can be, but there is something very calming about it (unless I'm wearing my glasses instead of contacts!) For 20 minutes all I need to do is dice onions...and compared to the worries of a typical school day, that is a great break.

Later in a shift things can get pretty crazy though. At times, when the restaurant is really full, we can have as many as 10 or 15 tickets in the kitchen at once. However, on those nights where it is steady, but not too busy, like last night, we usually cook about four or five tickets at a time. I've really grown to enjoy working at the grill. Often I feel like it is a puzzle that I'm trying to figure out. "What should I cook next? Which ticket can I sell right now? What do I need to do to finish that ticket? Which server do I need to call to the kitchen?" Those are some of the questions running through my mind as I cook. It really is a completely different way of using my brain. It's not the analytical, critical thinking that goes on in the college classroom. Rather, it's getting in tune with my problem-solving skills and instinctual quick-thinking abilities. I've been working at the Soda Shop for about five years now, so I have plenty of practice. But when it all clicks, it almost feels like I'm not even thinking. I just focus on the tickets and what I need to do to finish each one, and it just comes to me like it's natural.

In this way, oftentimes my work can actually be a stress reliever for me. It is an escape from the day to day stresses of college life. The fact that our restaurant is a retro diner is only fitting. In the same way that diners feel like they are stepping back in time and into another world when they come to our restaurant, I also feel like I am stepping into another world - away from academia and into the real world. For a college student trying to get through a full course load, this is one of the most relaxing experiences that can happen.

(Action #7 Develop ways to "Recharge your battery")