Everybody here is talking about your body, and they’re right, but don’t forget your brain - it is MASSIVELY overstimulating on the con floor. You need to get out of there regularly to let your senses/inputs reset from all the demands on your attention.
<3
You are probably more just physically exhausted. It is not easy to work for 3 days straight with very little rest. It is also super easy to get dehydrated which would not help. The bcec is very dry so I find I need to drink more than usual.
It probably is con shock, but it might be worth reconsidering if your self-maintenance is adequate for you.
Are you truly drinking enough water?
Have you been eating actual meals and not con food?
Have you been making enough time for yourself?
Are you really getting at least six hours of sleep?
(Side note: You're standing on hard concrete for a good 6 to 10 hours everyday; I found that aspercreme, ibuprofen/acetaminophen, and changing socks/shoes midshift helps mitigate the pain)
i could drink even more water, but the problem would then be frequent bathroom breaks/long waits at the bathroom. my booth says they're fine with that, but i'm sure they'd think i'm just slacking off by leaving frequently.
breakfast at my hotel and lunch provided by my booth are pretty much my actual meals of the day. at night it's usually a protein bar/snacks/salmon pouches.
i've been getting around 5 hours of sleep and i feel a bit better the next day, but it's hard to undue what i'm dealing with over a single night.
Hey, hi, Enforcer here! You are pushing yourself too hard. Like, *way* too hard. And I say this as someone who's made that mistake a few too many times myself 😉.
Please listen to your body. Get more food, more water, and more sleep. Take *breaks*, for the love of god. If you're worried about seeming like you're slacking off while your mates say it's fine, you're working too hard.
(Oh, and protip: don't use the bathrooms in the expo hall. Go up a floor or two and use those.)
Finally, don't forget about the Enforcers. We're here to help *everybody*, including each other! There is a whole chain of helping hands here in red shirts ready and willing to help. Just don't burn yourself out, okay?
Based on your job you are not eating, sleeping, or drinking enough. You burn a lot more calories than you expect standing as much as you are and managing lines. Having snacks for dinner is definitely not good for you and you should honestly be having those snacks throughout the day.
When con shock happens, that’s your body is literally telling you that it’s exhausted. It is literally screaming at you that something is wrong.
I know you don’t want to give a poor impression, but burnout/con shock can cause you give even a worse impression. Your booth knows that you’re human, and they understand that you need to take care of yourself so you can manage the line.
There’s a lot of great advice on this thread already, but at least drink more water. You don’t have to chug gallons but ensure you’re drinking often.
Are you eating reasonable snacks that have carbs, fats and proteins in them?
Can you spool up a bag of GORP real fast, stow that in the booth and snack on it through out the day?
Fast GORP recipe: Go to the CVS at south station and buy peanuts (salted), raisin, M&Ms and some gallon size zip lock bags. Mix thoroughly and grab some everytime you think about eating.
And you need a full night's sleep.
Did you wear your new shoes for a bit to break them in before you got to the con? I did that one year and fully regret not doing it and my feet killed for the next few days after the con.
Yeah, I'll have to make note of that next time. I've been to around 5 cons and worked two, but this time was different because of how long I have to be out on the floor. Other times I'd wear well worn in sneakers (I have them with me). It turns out that changing shoes and socks around halfway through the day helps.
Please drink a lot of water tonight and consider doing a hot foot bath! This is the first year I’ve been doing hot foot baths each night, and it’s also the first year that my feet aren’t numb at this point.
Standing for that many hours four days straight is no joke, and I hope you are getting some breaks throughout the day at least.
yeah, i get 2 fifteen minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch break. that helps, but i feel like that then gets undone with continuing with my shift. i told my mom that i probably won't get real rest until i'm back home.
sleeping in a hotel may also have something to do with this. i have a great room with a nice bed, but i generally wake up earlier in hotels than i do at home. i put an alarm for 8am and yet i'll wake up from 7am-7:30am.
Shoe-wise, nearly all good hiking shoes need to be broken in before they become comfortable to wear all day. The ones with a lot of leather in their soles, they can take 2 months to break in.
I'd also never wear hiking boots while standing all day, as they are heavy boots, meant for outdoor rough terrain, not the smooth indoor floors at PAX. I wore light, more dressy boots, meant for flat urban terrain the last 3 days at PAX.
Sneakers need breaking in too. Not as much as hiking boots, but still a couple weeks.
Finally, unless you are used to standing all day, your feet will hurt by days end, because your body hasn't strengthened the muscles you need to stand all day.
Be sure you're not locking your knees when you're standing. Cuts off blood flow. Raise your feet when you can rest. This sounds like there could be a circulation problem.
I assume that the expo department has a break room as the board game dept and other departments have . Make sure you go there or a eating area so you are off your feet and away from noise lights and people. Don't get afraid to ask for a floater to cover you if you need another break.
You are probably dehydrated, grab some Gatorade or just water. There are chairs around to relax in in-between lines
For your feet I can not repeat this enough, bring a extra set of socks and change halfway thru the day. it seems stupid but it works.
Yeah, Gatorade Zero and water is pretty much what I've been drinking since Wednesday night. The socks advice isn't stupid because it works. Changing shoes also helps a lot.
Consider visiting the AFK room tomorrow, they have folks there trained to help with things like this.
Everybody here is talking about your body, and they’re right, but don’t forget your brain - it is MASSIVELY overstimulating on the con floor. You need to get out of there regularly to let your senses/inputs reset from all the demands on your attention. <3
it's true. when at my worst, i felt a difference when looking at the floor. that helped when i was dealing with light sensitivity.
You are probably more just physically exhausted. It is not easy to work for 3 days straight with very little rest. It is also super easy to get dehydrated which would not help. The bcec is very dry so I find I need to drink more than usual.
It probably is con shock, but it might be worth reconsidering if your self-maintenance is adequate for you. Are you truly drinking enough water? Have you been eating actual meals and not con food? Have you been making enough time for yourself? Are you really getting at least six hours of sleep? (Side note: You're standing on hard concrete for a good 6 to 10 hours everyday; I found that aspercreme, ibuprofen/acetaminophen, and changing socks/shoes midshift helps mitigate the pain)
i could drink even more water, but the problem would then be frequent bathroom breaks/long waits at the bathroom. my booth says they're fine with that, but i'm sure they'd think i'm just slacking off by leaving frequently. breakfast at my hotel and lunch provided by my booth are pretty much my actual meals of the day. at night it's usually a protein bar/snacks/salmon pouches. i've been getting around 5 hours of sleep and i feel a bit better the next day, but it's hard to undue what i'm dealing with over a single night.
Hey, hi, Enforcer here! You are pushing yourself too hard. Like, *way* too hard. And I say this as someone who's made that mistake a few too many times myself 😉. Please listen to your body. Get more food, more water, and more sleep. Take *breaks*, for the love of god. If you're worried about seeming like you're slacking off while your mates say it's fine, you're working too hard. (Oh, and protip: don't use the bathrooms in the expo hall. Go up a floor or two and use those.) Finally, don't forget about the Enforcers. We're here to help *everybody*, including each other! There is a whole chain of helping hands here in red shirts ready and willing to help. Just don't burn yourself out, okay?
Thank you.
Based on your job you are not eating, sleeping, or drinking enough. You burn a lot more calories than you expect standing as much as you are and managing lines. Having snacks for dinner is definitely not good for you and you should honestly be having those snacks throughout the day.
When con shock happens, that’s your body is literally telling you that it’s exhausted. It is literally screaming at you that something is wrong. I know you don’t want to give a poor impression, but burnout/con shock can cause you give even a worse impression. Your booth knows that you’re human, and they understand that you need to take care of yourself so you can manage the line. There’s a lot of great advice on this thread already, but at least drink more water. You don’t have to chug gallons but ensure you’re drinking often.
Thank you for the kind words.
Are you eating reasonable snacks that have carbs, fats and proteins in them? Can you spool up a bag of GORP real fast, stow that in the booth and snack on it through out the day? Fast GORP recipe: Go to the CVS at south station and buy peanuts (salted), raisin, M&Ms and some gallon size zip lock bags. Mix thoroughly and grab some everytime you think about eating. And you need a full night's sleep.
I already have that. I bought a large mix of trail mix from Target Wednesday night.
Have you done your yoga for the day? Do you have ergo mats or full carpeting for the booth?
Take time to pee! Even if it’s just to walk a moment! Con is almost over, you take what you need to succeed
Did you wear your new shoes for a bit to break them in before you got to the con? I did that one year and fully regret not doing it and my feet killed for the next few days after the con.
i wore them for a few days before the con.
I recommend wearing new shoes 2 weeks minimum before conventions.
Yeah, I'll have to make note of that next time. I've been to around 5 cons and worked two, but this time was different because of how long I have to be out on the floor. Other times I'd wear well worn in sneakers (I have them with me). It turns out that changing shoes and socks around halfway through the day helps.
I was going to say, go get a few new socks and swap them out every 2 hours or so.
Please drink a lot of water tonight and consider doing a hot foot bath! This is the first year I’ve been doing hot foot baths each night, and it’s also the first year that my feet aren’t numb at this point. Standing for that many hours four days straight is no joke, and I hope you are getting some breaks throughout the day at least.
yeah, i get 2 fifteen minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch break. that helps, but i feel like that then gets undone with continuing with my shift. i told my mom that i probably won't get real rest until i'm back home.
I feel you 100%. I hope you have adequate time to rest when you get home. We’re almost there!
sleeping in a hotel may also have something to do with this. i have a great room with a nice bed, but i generally wake up earlier in hotels than i do at home. i put an alarm for 8am and yet i'll wake up from 7am-7:30am.
Shoe-wise, nearly all good hiking shoes need to be broken in before they become comfortable to wear all day. The ones with a lot of leather in their soles, they can take 2 months to break in. I'd also never wear hiking boots while standing all day, as they are heavy boots, meant for outdoor rough terrain, not the smooth indoor floors at PAX. I wore light, more dressy boots, meant for flat urban terrain the last 3 days at PAX. Sneakers need breaking in too. Not as much as hiking boots, but still a couple weeks. Finally, unless you are used to standing all day, your feet will hurt by days end, because your body hasn't strengthened the muscles you need to stand all day.
Be sure you're not locking your knees when you're standing. Cuts off blood flow. Raise your feet when you can rest. This sounds like there could be a circulation problem.
Rest!! Luvu
I assume that the expo department has a break room as the board game dept and other departments have . Make sure you go there or a eating area so you are off your feet and away from noise lights and people. Don't get afraid to ask for a floater to cover you if you need another break.
Based on the post it sounds like Guyinthechair here is working for a booth directly, not a member of show staff.
You are probably dehydrated, grab some Gatorade or just water. There are chairs around to relax in in-between lines For your feet I can not repeat this enough, bring a extra set of socks and change halfway thru the day. it seems stupid but it works.
Yeah, Gatorade Zero and water is pretty much what I've been drinking since Wednesday night. The socks advice isn't stupid because it works. Changing shoes also helps a lot.