Being paid to provide service to others comes with a responsibility to “show up.” This sometimes can be difficult. The days can wear and tear on you like a friction burn until you get to the point of drawing blood! Escalated emotions can cloud judgment, and, in turn, taint first impressions for the interactions that follow. It’s time to choose to give back to yourself frequently throughout your workday so you can present the best version of yourself to everyone who comes your way. Here are six tips to help add healthy habits to your daily routine to achieve some mental clarity.
1. Keep a “Burn book.” Burn books (in which you write about your frustrations and complaints) could be considered a bad idea in some cases. We have all seen Mean Girls, and how that backfired in a glorious display spiteful teenage rage! It was not pretty, so caution must be taken. Burn books are not designed to be public record. In a professional setting, you must err on the side of caution and resist the temptation to discuss your stories of frustration in a gossip-style schoolyard fashion. This will only encourage your negativity to gain traction and create an even bigger divide between you and the issue. That is the complete opposite of what we are trying to achieve here. You need to make peace with whatever is going on and move on with your day. Your workplace Burn Book needs to be very private and temporary. No hoarding your anger in a glitter-decorated notebook under your mattress! You need to write down whatever it is that has you riled up; acknowledge it for whatever it is and balance it with something rational. Then get rid of it permanently from your life: Shred that sucker!
Here is a secret peep of an obviously completely made-up example of what I mean:
“Mr. Porter is horrible for telling my manager I promised him a complimentary 2 p.m. checkout. He has been a complete nightmare ever since he checked in. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr”
It’s best just to let it all out! This is a “for your eyes only” rant, so get it all down.
Now the challenging part…neutralizing it and really letting it go:
“I am sorry we can’t be best buds, Mr. Porter. I probably would have cut you a deal if you were a little nicer. Good luck with your day; I will not let you ruin mine.”
Good job! Now take a breath; go put that negativity through the paper shredder and make peace with your feelings so you have room to let something more positive in.
2. Smile. It’s that simple folks. Just smile—it’s infectious! Walk away from whatever has gotten your blood boiling and smile. Before you know it, something fun and positive will pop into your mind and give you a joy jump-start. Flatlining is not an option; be an active smiler.
3. Be kind. Keep saying it over and over: Be kind, be kind, be kind. Dealing with challenging attitudes, stubbornness, and, sometimes, verbal abuse, can cloud our judgment and may even force our thoughts in the same direction. Don’t let another’s actions or attitude drag you down by getting caught in the trap of righting a wrong with another wrong. Make your mom/grandma/kindergarten teacher proud by keeping hold of your moral high ground and being kind to everyone. Your soul will feel lighter for it.
4. Take a holistic approach. I recently lost my best friend. She was 14 years old, had bad breath, and an uncanny way of breaking wind at awkward moments, causing a mass exodus from her immediate vicinity. Oprah was my dog, and I loved her dearly. During her final months, she started to have seizures. Our vet recommended splashing lavender essential oils on her bed to help keep her calm. Ultimately, it was to be her last battle, so arguably the lavender did nothing to help. But hear this: Oprah’s last months also the were most stressful and upsetting time of my life. I cannot vouch for the lavenders K9 compatibility, but I sure found it soothing. That magic bottle of lavender now has a home in my desk drawer. If my day at work starts to get on top of me, I dab a bit on my wrists, take a breath, and Zen out.
5. Be on stage, and leave it on stage. Working in the customer service industry means you’ve hit the big time…you’re on Broadway, baby! OK, so you might not feel like this at the moment, but maybe you should. If you think about it, there are benefits to turning your front-line job into the main stage. For starters, it forces you to “show up.” I could talk for hours on the importance of “being there,” and ultimately, that is what we are ensuring we achieve by frequently resetting our day. The concept of being on stage also give should you a bit of protection. You go out there and give your best performance and whatever gets thrown back, “Stage You” is there to handle it. Customers have no idea who the “Real You” is; it probably hasn’t even crossed their mind. So don’t get caught in the trap of taking things personally. Turn up, do your best with each encounter, and at the end of the day, give “Stage #insertyournamehere” a round of applause, leave it behind, and go home.
6. Go to your happy place. True story: At my last place of work, someone printed a page of kittens and puppies from Goggle images and pinned it to the memo board. The idea was to go stare at it if you were feeling a little stressed out. In a comical way, it worked, and those cute little fur balls eventually took you to a happier place. Now, I understand that kittens and puppies aren’t for everyone, but the idea is bang on. Whether it’s pictures of your family, the mountains on a powder day, or topless Channing Tatum, take five and go to your happy place.
At the end of the day, you need to find what works for you. Feel the value of resetting for every customer who comes your way and make room for a more positive work environment. It’s a choice, so get active.
Rachel Bailey is a training and instructional design associate for Oculus Training, a British Columbia-based corporate training and mystery shopping company offering sales management, reservations, sensitivity, and customer service training programs for a variety of service-based industries throughout Canada, the U.S., and the world. For more information, call 888.OCULUS4 or visit www.oculustraining.com. You also can connect with Oculus on Twitter @oculustraining, via e-mail at peoplecare@oculustraining.com or visit it on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube.
