"Stress!" The dynamics in a professional kitchen

“…Fear is the mind killer…”

  (Frank Herbert, “Dune”, excerpt from the “Litany against Fear”)

 “The Dream”

“The sweat is pouring off of me, stinging my eyes, trickling down my back, the soaked polyester uniform I’m wearing is sticking to my skin; my ears are ringing, head is pounding, I can feel the pressure throughout my being, blood pressure so high that I can feel every pounding beat of my heart coursing through my veins. I want to run, I want to hide but I can’t, there is nowhere to go; I’m so deep “in the shit” that I can see no end, there is NO way for me to navigate out of this maelstrom. My panic is threatening to burst out of me; I’m fighting to hold onto any scrap of sanity I have left. The smell of French fries, ketchup and steaks permeates around me; the garbage can beside me is overflowing with a nauseating mosaic of colors, textures and smells. The loud dish-washing machine in front of me constantly belching out masses of steam, I cannot see the walls of the room due to the heavy fog of steam around me. Behind me are stacks of bus tubs, full of dirty dishes, cutlery, glassware, etc. Stacked to the ceiling in rows going off into infinity, the dining room is running out of everything, the constant yelling of, “more glasses”,” more knives”,” more plates”, etc. is nonstop; There is nothing else in my world except for the hopeless misery and distress of this sweltering hell…”

  I wake up abruptly and sit bolt upright in my bed, soaked in sweat, my heart pounding like a John Bonham drum solo, but I’m relieved beyond belief to have woken up. It is “the dream”, again, coming more frequently lately, and getting worse…

  Stress; it is an integral part of our daily life, especially in the kitchen and while it can be discussed at great length I will just address the “normal”, day to day grind that we all have to deal with and try to offer some healthy perspectives to help cope and overcome. I’m not discounting more serious issues arising from physical and/or psychological health complications but those are best treated by professionals.

  I would like to point out that although the kitchen has a reputation as a high stress career, a “pressure cooker” job that is blamed for many maladies suffered including substance abuse, depression, suicide, emotional disorders including anger issues, etc. (all perceived as “stress related” ailments), I have to disagree only from the perspective that we ALL personally have to take responsibility for our own destinies and well being. This is the first step towards combating and eliminating the stress in your life. The “blame game” does not work. The kitchen is not the cause of these personal issues/problems, they are already present in the person afflicted although the “stress”, (or more accurately, the perceived stress), from the kitchen could possibly exacerbate or accelerate these conditions but I emphasize that the “kitchen life” shouldn’t be used as an excuse. Stress comes from within us; we can only be impacted, or stressed, by outside influences if we allow them to. I am sympathetic and supportive to anyone in need of help but it is important to recognize the real cause of issues before any solution can be pursued.

  What is the main cause of stress?

  FEAR: in particular fear of failure, and fear of the unknown as well as others but virtually every source of stress can be traced back to fear.

"You have nothing to Fear except Fear itself", Franklin D. Roosevelt

  The opening paragraph of this article, “The Dream”, is a good example. This was my experience when I first started in this industry as a dishwasher; I was in over my head right from the very first day,

 (See; https://www.bebee.com/producer/@randall-burns/celebrating-40-years-in-the-kitchen )

And it just got worse as I hit a brick wall trying to achieve what I thought andperceived as totally unrealistic and unreasonable expectations. It was within a matter of weeks when the stress I was feeling manifested itself into this recurring dream/nightmare; obviously not a healthy state of affairs. I had never felt so stressed in my life; I was failing miserably and I didn’t know how to rectify it, my FEAR was taking control of me.

  Without digressing into a long story I persevered and over time became proficient at my job, the stress decreased dramatically. My transition into this industry could have been a lot smoother with more comprehensive and proper training, but the reality is I was thrown into the station and expected to survive. The point is that this illustrates how easily stress can roar in and take over your life without you even realizing it, if you allow it to.

Having said that however it appears that it was the stress that caused/spurned/trained me to progress quickly, this “trial by fire” was an abrupt and steep learning curve that left me no choice but to either prevail, or fail in a very short period of time; would you consider that as a “double edged sword”? I believe that this experience, and overcoming it gave me an incredible head start in this business.

  Is stress a bad thing? Absolutely not, we need it to learn and grow. By definition, “pressure or tension exerted onto something else”, there is nothing negative about it. Working out in the gym is stress that we use to build up our bodies, participating in sports can be far more stressful on us than we realize, particularly extreme sports, both physically and mentally, BUT that is something that we choose to enjoy. One’s personal perspective can dictate whether you’re experiencing negative or positive stress.

As can be seen from the example of my first job in the kitchen I was stressed, and in my mind stressed to the max, I didn’t know whether I was going to survive. I became stressed about my stress, a vicious cycle that just wound me up tighter…

 I’m sure that most of you reading this can relate, I’m sure that most of you just hate “being in the shit” and agree that it can be very stressful. How do we deal with it?

Our jobs, as Chefs and Cooks, are multi-faceted;

(See;https://www.bebee.com/producer/@randall-burns/choose-a-job-that-you-love-and-you-ll-never-work-a-day-in-your-life-confucius )

 We are prone to stresses due to performance expectations, multi-tasking, serious time restraints, physical demands and sometimes seemingly overwhelming unrealistic workloads, (all of these relate directly to perspective).

 Recognition; this is the first and most important step, also sometimes the hardest but regardless of how busy, or how much “in the shit” you are you have to stop for that 30 seconds, take a step back and get an overall perspective. Just admitting to yourself, “hey I’m stressed, I’m in the shit, I’m F#@$%d”, can make the difference between spiraling uncontrollably into a brick wall or salvaging a dinner service by averting disaster. Cooking is a team activity, be supportive but also be aware, don’t go down in flames before asking the Chef or anyone else for help, you’ll drag everyone else down with you. Be aware and available for the rest of your kitchen team and they will be there for you. In a professional kitchen this mutual support is often the best defence against stress and it is important that the Chef cultivates this credo.

 Acceptance; OK, so you’re stressed, Big Deal, it happens to EVERYONE, Accept it and get over it because until you do this there’s no progression to a solution. The worst thing that you can do is stress about your “stress”, that is a vicious circle that leads to disaster.

 Determination of cause; is the cause of your stress within your “sphere of control” or outside of it? If it’s outside of your control, just forget about it! Example: Your food delivery is delayed due to a mechanical issue with the supplier's truck, I know that you WANT to stress about it, but trust me, just drop it, don’t even think about it, come up with a contingency plan and deal with it. If you have a sound mise en place mentality in your kitchen it shouldn’t affect you, but why would you put a lunch special on your menu with a product that’s supposed to be arriving on the 10:30 A.M. delivery truck? I bet you won’t do that again. The point is you can cut out a lot of stress when you understand and accept that if it is out of your control there really isn’t anything that you can do about it. Why waste your time, energy, and emotional "wear and tear" on stressing about it? It is difficult to remain unattached to these “outside” influences but it’s also not very smart to be at their mercy. Anticipation, planning and organization, and mise en place will help minimize the influence of outside forces.

 Hopefully you’re getting an idea as to how futile it is to worry about the world around you due to the fact that you have no control over it.

 If the cause is within your “Sphere of Control” then tackle it, immediately. Take it as a challenge, rectify it, learn from it. Don’t procrastinate, don’t get angry, and don’t be fearful, those are all a waste of time and energy; stumbling blocks that will hinder your progression to a solution.

  Manifestation of Stress; what are the signs? There are a lot of signs, we are all different and react in different ways but I will just mention a major one here; Anger. Not only are you stressed, from fear, but now you’re angry, not a good state of affairs. Anger is prevalent throughout the kitchen, it is disruptive, counter-productive and usually only succeeds in making you look like an ass of epic proportions. It is unfortunate that some “reality” cooking shows personify the “Angry Chef” and while we do have that reputation it is definitely a dying trait; there is no place in the kitchen for it. How to control your anger? Control your stress=Control your fear. The same applies for any other manifestation, depression, mood swings, psychological issues, (nightmares! LMAO!), etc.

 Personal Ego; this is a monster and a lifelong battle to tame. Your ego demands to be defended and generates enormous amounts of stress. It also demands a lot of energy to feed it. This could be discussed at great length but with Google at everyone’s fingertips I’ll let you do the groundwork, (check out the works of Carlos Castaneda, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Ancient Greek Philosophy, clinical psychology, etc. Philosophy also helps broaden your perspective which in turn minimizes your perceived "issues", which then lowers stress levels). Take my word for it that this is a worthy battle. Do I have an ego? Absolutely, and over the years it has been a constant fight although as time goes by it generally stays more and more in a dark corner of my mind somewhere only rearing it’s ugly head occasionally making an ass out of itself, and an ass out of me, before I can fight it back down again. The less influence your ego has in your life the less stress you will experience.

  It is your ego that will block you from the “Recognition” of being stressed which prevents you from asking for much needed help, it is ego that will keep you in denial of“Acceptance” which stops any further progression to a solution. Anger stems directly from ego. Your ego will sabotage you at any opportunity. Battling your ego is a great stress reliever in its own right.

I would like to clarify here that “confidence” is not ego. “Confidence” is the ease of mind that you have when you have “faith” in your mise en place, in your staff, and in other support aspects. You have taken control and responsibility for your “Sphere of Control” and you’re humbly challenging the world to throw its worst at you.

 Perspective; this is the biggie and every point that I talk about is directly related to perspective in one way or another.

  “Anxiety is caused by the discrepancy between our perceptions/expectations of what we think reality should be, and what reality actually is”.

Having accepted this premise you now have the choice of how to rectify it. Something needs to change and you need to change it. Your choices are to either change your perceptions or change reality. Can you change reality? Absolutely not, so your only choice is to change your perception, which is the only way to get relief.

 (see; https://www.bebee.com/producer/@randall-burns/a-little-cornstarch-between-the-legs-helps-cure-the-wolf )

 Just like the classic “is the glass half full or half empty?”, “is it partly sunny or partly cloudy?” question, the choice is yours as to how you perceive this.

Age and Experience; while this point is self-explanatory and cannot really be accomplished except over time I want to emphasize that it does get easier over time. Try to appreciate the “lessons” as they happen to you as many of them can only occur through years of experience. Age and experience give one an expanded perspective and although as we advance our perceived “stresses” become greater and greater, dealing with that stress actually becomes easier. I still look back at my “dream” and can honestly say that was the most stressed I’ve ever been throughout my career. Having said that however I also look back fondly at those no worry carefree days I had in the dish pit, definitely a lot easier than my job is now, or as it’s been over the years. I have learned to appreciate and attack the obstacles as they’ve increased over the years, my perspective dictates that I enjoy and relish the challenges as opposed to becoming “stressed” about them.

 This relates directly to "the fear of the unknown", as we accumulate experiences we are gaining knowledge which gives us more confidence and control over our fears. Knowledge is power, and you never stop learning.

  Mise en Place;  This is by far the best weapon that you have in your arsenal to battle stress. Take responsibility, take control and you’ll minimize the opportunity for stress to creep into your life. Mise en Place is a “State of Mind”,

(see; https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mise-en-place-state-mind-randy-burns?trk=mp-reader-card )

While this link delves into more detail regarding the many aspects/concepts of Mise en Place I would like to mention the important aspect of training, and the repercussions of lack of training. Training is mise en place! I am shocked at the lack of training I see in kitchens, just like when I first started as a dishwasher. While this topic could be discussed at great length I will leave it at that hoping that you take my word as to how important comprehensive training is in minimizing stress in your kitchen and in your individual staff members.

  Mise en Place is absolutely within your “Sphere of Control”.

  Discipline;  "A kitchen without discipline is Anarchy". This begins with YOU, personally developing self-discipline. Being in the kitchen means being part of a "team", as such you have an obligation to the rest of your team to take responsibility for your "Sphere of Control", which includes personal "stress management". Chefs and Managers have an obligation to cultivate discipline in the work environment for everyone's benefit, which includes "stress management" in the kitchen.

   Anarchy generates stress, discipline instills sanity, consistency, unity, and purpose. Just because the kitchen is "disciplined" does not mean that it is not a relaxed, comfortable environment; on the contrary it is actually more fun, more fulfilling and gratifying because it is stress free. Don't misunderstand this point due to the negative connotations associated with this word, a "disciplined" kitchen really is a pleasure to work in.

   Discipline, and self discipline, reduce fear.

   I consider discipline, especially self-discipline, to be an aspect of mise en place; and it is within your "Sphere of Control".

  Perspective; (part 2)

 Let’s address the real crux of the matter; stress is actually just an abstract construct of your mind, a “mind game”, if that’s an appropriate way of looking at it, that you play with/against yourself. There is nothing more to it than that. As I said initially it is up to you to take responsibility for yourself, the issues are within you, not outside of you. Nothing outside of you has that much power to influence your life to the degree of causing you stress, unless you ALLOW it to. As soon as you stop laying blame on outside influences, of which you have absolutely no control over, this will become much clearer to you.

  Accepting this premise you can also deduce that fear is also a construct of the mind, so is philosophy, so is anger, and when you think about it so is the arsehole that’s working next to you, he has no power to stress you out unless you allow it to happen, so “play the game” to your advantage.

 Ultimately when you realize that “Stress” is just an abstract construct of your mind you will have won the war, there will still be battles but they will be more like exercises to increase your mental fitness. Realize that you do have a choice; you do have control so exercise them.

    Do I still get stressed? Of course I do, I’m human, but it is mild and very short-lived. Nothing like my initial experiences when I started as a dishwasher, or in my early years of cooking. Nowadays it’s just “pressure” that I immediately recognize and I must admit it is 95% self-inflicted as it is due to me “biting off more than I can chew”, (I always like to challenge myself). I have to say that I put myself under more “stress” than anyone else or anything else could possibly do, and I do this intentionally; just like putting on that extra 20 lbs for my last reps of bench presses; it’s exercise.

    How does one teach about stress? That is very difficult although I’ve had the luxury of working under some great Chefs who have led by example. There is one quote that has stuck with me throughout the years; it was 1981 and I was working as a cook at The Holiday Inn in Winnipeg under Executive Chef Louis Rodriguez, it was a particularly busy night and I was feeling the pressure, during the peak of service I looked over to Chef and asked him, “Aren’t you stressed?” to which he looked me in eye and responded, “I smile under pressure”, and then he carried on working seemingly without a care in the world. That is a real leader and that is how you teach about “stress”! Again this is just a matter of perspective.

   When all is said and done, you’re happy, well-adjusted and confident; you have the best kitchen brigade you’ve ever had, a clean kitchen with impeccable mise en place ideology, you’re creating beautiful food on a daily basis and you have a booming business that’s booked out weeks in advance; you’re still going to have the occasion where "the excrement hits the air re circulation unit”; you can either stress about it or “take is as a challenge”, be “confident” that you’ve taken responsibility for your “Sphere of Control” and you'll overcome it fearlessly with a smile on your face, it all depends on your perspective but the choice is your’s. You will laugh about it the next day.

 (see; https://www.bebee.com/producer/@randall-burns/running-the-gauntlet-to-becoming-a-chef )

   One final very important aspect; a sense of humor is absolutely imperative, if you can’t laugh at the end of the day there’s no point in getting out of bed, and you need to be able to laugh at yourself first and foremost, (one of the most effective ways to battle your ego as well as being a great stress reliever).

   Having said that I would like to acknowledge colleague Chef David Buchanan for his input regarding the title of this article, I modified one of his suggestions for the title but would like to pass on a couple of the other “gems” that he suggested, Thanks David, I always appreciate your feedback and perspective;

  “Stress in the Kitchen – It aint going away!”

  “Stress in the Kitchen – Deal with it!”

   “Stress – If you can’t handle it go cry in the walk-in!”

   Here is one other title that may just put you in the right frame of mind, it may give you a new perspective as to how to approach this;

   "Stress - Make it your Bitch!"

    In closing I will leave you with Frank Herbert’s complete “Litany against Fear”;

    Happy Cooking Everyone!

   (Originally published on LinkedIn, Jan. 2, 2017)