Everything I Know About Hard Times I learned from M*A*S*H

One of my favorite remedies for a bad day / hard times at work (or anywhere else, for that matter) is watching our old M*A*S*H DVDs. For me, the misadventures of the gang at the 4077 have a way of putting my own issues in perspective, whether they involve an unpleasant interaction on the phone or floor, equipment problems that refuse to be resolved, or knowing that after work there'll be an urgent repair job waiting at home.

During one really bad year that involved working a physically demanding FT job, helping Noel deal with bullying at school, getting through the deaths of several family friends (all of them under 55) and seeing another friend through cancer treatment, my entire family would collapse on the couch at the end of the day and watch several episodes with me.

After thinking it over I figured out why the show resonated with all of us - the characters used coping tactics that would serve well in real life:

• Laugh. Dark humor is actually a pretty effective way to help yourself and those around you get through times when you're all flying by the seat of your pants. Savor harmless but annoying absurdities instead of trying to make sense of them. If your day was too ridiculous to be real, pretend you're in a sitcom and it's your job to make people laugh.
  
• Keep serving the people you're supposed to serve as best as you can, even if you're so tied up with red tape that you feel like a mummy. I've worked for a number of large entities, including several school districts, and I know that trying to make meaningful changes can make you feel like you're hurling yourself against a concrete wall. Several friends who work for major retailers say that some of the decisions that come from Headquarters are incomprehensible; they could only have been made by people who aren't working in the field. This seems to be pretty universal. You have a lot of company. Keep slogging onward.
• If your life workload has become so grueling that you're chronically fatigued, perfect the stop-drop-and-nap technique of catching up on sleep. Watch a toddler if you need instructions. Start taking 10-minute catnaps during breaktime (if the staff room atmosphere is crowded and chatty, putting on a headset is a good do-not-disturb signal) or pack a blanket in your car for half-hour rest during lunch. Take another 10 before diving into post-work drama once you get home. You can't spend the rest of your life surviving on sleep tidbits but it got Hawkeye & BJ through those 24-hour nonstop surgery runs.
• When you're eating on the fly, watch your c-rations. Nuts, whole wheat crackers and fruit can get you through an afternoon. Twinkies and Mountain Dew won't. And any caffeine after the first post-lunch cup of coffee probably won't help your alertness level (I've tried. Many times) and it may give you a headache.
  
• Like the dirty-sock rotgut the good doctors brewed in their tent, it helps to have a comforting ritual or two at the end of the day, although you might want to think twice about their poison of choice. Sometimes you need to forget things for a little while. Keep a stock of movies, music, chocolate - anything that doesn't destroy your health.
  
• Just as important - keep a few hours a week for things you enjoy, such as your ballroom dance class or bunco group, even if you think you "shouldn't" take time for yourself. During high-stress times, you need them more than ever. Col. Potter didn't stop oil painting. Klinger always coordinated his accessories, even for KP. As the late great Kate (Hepburn) said, "Never forsake those activities that keep you out of the nuthouse."
• It's okay to lose it sometimes. Bawl, hug your teddy bear like Radar, play practical jokes like BJ, or drive your car out to a deserted field at the end of the world and scream like Major Houlihan. Just don't blow out your vocal chords.
• Hang together. Now isn't the time to shut yourself away from friends. If you're afraid of taxing their ability to listen & empathize, have an official gripe session (a friend of mine calls them "Whine and Cheese" parties) where everyone gets to cry on each others' shoulders. After the air clears, go out together & do something fun.
• Finally, remember that everything eventually ends. Even the Hundred-Year War didn't last forever. If a particular event, such as graduating or finishing a tough project, will help the hard times ease up, post a day-by-day countdown sheet on your wall and mark off each day when it ends.

Maybe you'll even have your own personal V-Day celebration.

Clearing Brain Fog - Quick Fixes

Here are more ways to fight fatigue while you're working. These are specifically physical:

• Give your brain a shot of oxygen with deep breathing. You can learn a number of breathing exercises in a yoga class or on a DVD. One I've found to be effective: inhale deeply enough to fill up your lungs, hold for a count of 10 and exhale.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend forward from the waist, and let your upper body dangle. This circulates more blood to your brain.
• If you can get away for a few minutes, take a fast walk around the block or parking lot. Sometimes merely getting outside will snap you back to consciousness.
• Aromatherapy works for me every time. If you work in a scent-free environment and can't wear anything scented, take a small bottle of peppermint, lemon or rosemary essential oil (most stores with organic sections sell the Acacia brand, including Fred Meyer), uncap and sniff. Two years ago I bought an aromatherapy inhaler (it looks like a Vick's inhaler) at New Seasons - the blend contains eucalyptus & mint, and still has a strong aroma even after years of regular use.
  
• If you drank your last cup of coffee more than four hours ago, a small one now might work. If you've been guzzling it all day, it won't. Try mint tea instead.

If you've been on your feet all day and it isn't only your brain that's tired, try these:

• If you work in a building with a decent-sized staff room, you can bring a yoga mat (even an old blanket will work), spread it out on the floor and do sitting/laying yoga poses. These three are especially helpful for cranky lower backs: knee stirs (lie on your back, hug both knees to your chest and "stir" them in small circles), the Bridge (lie on your back, bend knees to a right angle with feet on the floor, and raise your hips), and the Star (lie on your back, cross your right leg over to your left side and let it rest there. Then cross your left leg over to your right side).
• If your staff room won't allow getting on the floor, find two chairs. Sit on one, put both feet on the other so that your legs are completely straightened, and hang forward from the waist. Another lower-back easer: sit cross-legged on the chair and bend forward, feeling the stretch.
  
• If you can lie on the floor, try tennis ball acupressure. Place a ball under the part of your back that feels tight, and lower yourself on top of it.
  
• And to get through the rest of your shift, use a peel & stick heating pad, available at most stores like Walgreens.

If you work in a physically active job where you're "on the floor" most of the day, I recommend that you start incorporating yoga into your daily routine, whether you already work out or not. After as little as a month, I bet you'll notice a difference in how you feel at the end of the day.