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The psychology of stress and burnout

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Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#121

Post by [deleted] »

agumonkey wrote: post #113
CocaKoala wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>but I am saying running a bakery is less stressful than implementing a functioning computer system. Has anybody here claimed the opposite? Somebody (who I suspect has never worked in a bakery) posited that perhaps the stress of food service was physical, as opposed to mental. That's a guess which sounds reasonable, but it turns out that there are a lot of problems that need to be solved in a commercial bakery that a…

I only worked at a satellite bakery[1], not the bread making part, which is not taxing mentally after 20 days. For the rest I honestly cannot speak. [1] sandwich preparation, finishing touches for cakes, closer to a starbucks.

[deleted]

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#122

Post by big_youth »

agumonkey wrote: post #113
CocaKoala wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>but I am saying running a bakery is less stressful than implementing a functioning computer system. Has anybody here claimed the opposite? Somebody (who I suspect has never worked in a bakery) posited that perhaps the stress of food service was physical, as opposed to mental. That's a guess which sounds reasonable, but it turns out that there are a lot of problems that need to be solved in a commercial bakery that a…

I only worked at a satellite bakery[1], not the bread making part, which is not taxing mentally after 20 days. For the rest I honestly cannot speak. [1] sandwich preparation, finishing touches for cakes, closer to a starbucks.

I would say that baking the bread is the easy part. Dealing with customers, managing employees, getting to the bakery at 3am EVERY DAY, and dealing with other business bureaucracy is the mentally taxing component.

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#123

Post by reflexive »

manmal wrote: post #101
freelancezombie wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good to hear you found your way. I'm getting burned out on freelance.

What is it that burns you out most? (fellow freelancer here)

The thing that burns me out about freelance is the client just views you as a cost center. Always want more work in less time. I start to fantasize about the "camaraderie" of being on a team. Maybe there needs to be a Freelancer's Local Union.

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#124

Post by JamesBarney »

tonyedgecombe wrote: post #87
skybrian wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most restaurants fail. It doesn't seem like a way to avoid stress?

I don't think you would need to do much due diligence to rise above most restaurateurs.

Many restaurateurs have been running restaurants and cooking professionally for years before they try to open their own. I'm not sure writing software is as helpful experience wise.

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#125

Post by eeZah7Ux »

acron0 wrote: post #90
clifanatic wrote: post #82

I'm in one of those (inescapable) open-office nightmares right now. All day, every day, people are talking right next to me, making it impossible to concentrate. They're not even talking about work, they're talking about cars, or kids, or movies, or inane bullshit. I don't care that they're talking (and apparently management doesn't either, because since we're in a panopticon, if I know it, they know it too), but whe…

Quick answer: Headphones and music/white noise. Long answer: If you really feel this strongly about your working environment then you should seriously consider telling your manager. It's in their best interests that you're happy/comfortable/working as smoothly as you can. If they can't or won't change your situation, look for another employer. Ten years, Christ.

Do not use regular headphones with music! 8+ hours a day for years damages your hearing.

Use passive insulation, either in high quality headphones or ear defenders (much cheaper, but no music).

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#126

Post by agumonkey »

big_youth wrote: post #122
agumonkey wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only worked at a satellite bakery[1], not the bread making part, which is not taxing mentally after 20 days. For the rest I honestly cannot speak. [1] sandwich preparation, finishing touches for cakes, closer to a starbucks.

I would say that baking the bread is the easy part. Dealing with customers, managing employees, getting to the bakery at 3am EVERY DAY, and dealing with other business bureaucracy is the mentally taxing component.

Each of us have wildly varying experiences it seems. The madness of tech projects made me feel so helplessly alone. Probably because it involves my own brain and soul rather than a production job, where I can just go, do my task brainlessly, clean and leave everything behind to enjoy the my free time. And customers / colleagues interactions felt nowhere near problematic. It wasn't a special crowd either, a blend of rich tourists and lots of working class at rush hours.

ps: I am not saying thta being the customer interface is easy. Just not in bakeries and some other kinds. My mother was a post office clerk, it was famous for the angered waiting line venting violently on the powerless employees, sometimes physically. I never had to deal with this in the food serving business.

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#127

Post by ultrasandwich »

For anyone interested in the wider philosophical questions around stress and burnout, I recommend reading "The Burnout Society" by Byung-Chul Han [1], a contemporary Korean-born German philosopher. Very little of his work has been translated to English, but it's written really well. Makes a compelling case that the pressure for positivity and achievement lead to self- or auto-exploitation [2]. If anyone has additional reading recommendations around this, I'm interested!

[1] - http://sup.org/books/title/?id=25725

[2] - http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2016/01/we-have-bec...

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#129

Post by reflexive »

myth_drannon wrote: post #116
agumonkey wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know sometime even a failure in something you like can be healthier and more motivating than safe thing you ended up dreading deeply.

Unless you drain your life savings, end up divorces... etc.

You're doing it wrong

Re: The psychology of stress and burnout

#130

Post by jdswain »

reflexive wrote: post #123
manmal wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is it that burns you out most? (fellow freelancer here)

The thing that burns me out about freelance is the client just views you as a cost center. Always want more work in less time. I start to fantasize about the "camaraderie" of being on a team. Maybe there needs to be a Freelancer's Local Union.

Try joining a meetup or two, they are really good for meeting people in similar situations to yourself and having conversations about work.
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