Devils lettuce

the biggest help has been everything i’ve done outside of work – therapy, medication, etc. depression is a real beast and it really does take work to fight it. as for during my shifts, sometimes it helps me to think of it like one really long theater performance. i just compartmentalize to the max and when i’m “on” during work, it’s like a completely different person. i act bubbly, friendly, positive, and try to just keep my mind blank/only focusing on the tasks at hand. and, ultimately, on the couple of days or weeks when my depression has been so bad that i can’t even get myself out of bed and access that work persona….i call out or find coverage for tomorrow’s shift in order to take a personal day and care for myself.

I don’t know how I stumbled across this post as I am not a Starbucks employee and have never been. However, I am a Starbucks customer for years and have education and work experience in mental health.

My perspective as a customer (solely my own thoughts/opinions): I know the majority of you are dealing with ten different orders at the same time, making sure customers are attended to, make sure the area is clean, etc. Even if you happen to mess up my order three times, there’s not a chance that I would become irate or even discourteous. We have all at some point messed up at work and shit happens. At the end of the day, it’s a damn cup of coffee/mocha/etc. For those customers who feel the need to berate retail workers, no matter how courteous you are or what you offer them, they come in with an attitude and mindset, ready to rumble. Keep that in mind. So even if you do everything perfectly, they already have the mindset of being a jerk and will find something to bicker about. If it’s not you or their order, they will complain that the restroom was not clean enough or there was a spill at the counter.

My perspective as someone who has work in the field of mental health: Put your game face on and try to make it through the day with doing exactly what you are responsible for. If it gets to the point of it being completely intolerable, you don’t owe your manager or Starbucks a damn thing. Take some time off if possible and look for a warmer/more suitable job while also getting assistance with your mental health. I have seen too many people become stressed out due to their jobs, which in turn also reflects in their lives as a whole. No job is worth that. Take care of your mental health first, get your house in order, and before you know it, with the effort you out in, you’ll be ready to tackle and job.

My two cents.

This is what I did...
Step 1
Stopped giving a fuck about this shit hole of a company. What set this off for me was when my SM at the time noticed I wasn't my up "normal self" and asked me what was going on, I briefly explained I was going through a very difficult time.
This bitch says to me, verbatim, "you need to leave that at the door because we have to get our numbers up." That's when it all clicked.

Step 2.
Therapy and self care. I made sure I was getting sleep and rest. Taking time for myself. If I need to call in because I need a day, I take it. Headspace
helps too. So much that whenever I hear the ads on YouTube I feel chill lol

Step 3
I take CBD if I'm feeling too anxious and want to mellow out of I'm alone. Or I like to get high with friends, while in a good headspace and having a good time to just give me a boost and heighten the good mood I'm already in.

I hope this is of some help. I know everyone is different. Don't allow this job to stress you out.

i work with a team that is really protective over all of our partners, which results in them understanding the struggle of working with depression, so i communicate with them when im having hard days. ive had days where i just talk to my SSV about being unable to put on a smile and be friendly with customers so they put me on drive thru bar and they allow me to put my airpods in and just vibe lmao. ive also had some days where i couldnt stop breaking down, and i asked to go home early. they found the coverage and gave me a hug, and sent me on my way home.

Utilities some of the resources. The combination of Lyra and headspace have helped me work through a lot of those hurdles, see them coming sooner and use calming techniques to help me avoid a ramp up. Also being candid with my team when rocking window probably isn’t my best bet right now with my current headspace but I do realize everyone has their own baggage and it’s not fair for me to constantly ask for support because I’m so much in my own head. Good luck

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I don’t know if it actually helps make it easier but you’re struggling with what’s called “emotional labor”, which is the performative happiness expected of you.

It may seem like a lot of hassle but maybe transfer.

Or you could initiate the interesting, probably harrowing journey of asking for a disability accommodation where you don’t have to pretend to be euphoric to work in fast food.

I would just dissociate, I hardly remember my time at sbux