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Maintaining a positive mood in the office or just being at work can sometimes be difficult. Learning a few basic coping mechanisms can help combat office and workplace blues.
There are very few people who experience perfect work weeks. There are mornings when you wake up to your alarm clock buzzing and you just know, with some unexplainable instinct, that the next twenty-four hours will be better off left unlived. Unfortunately, you can’t just sleep in and avoid work altogether, especially now when the words “budget cuts” and “downsizing” are still being whispered in hushed tones throughout the halls of many businesses.
With the driving thoughts of putting food on the table and maintaining a roof over our heads, many of us begrudgingly stumble out of bed, pull on our grown-up underpants, head into work and just fervently hope for the best. However, no matter how mature we force ourselves to be, the stress of office politics, snarky co-workers and impossible deadlines can often grind our good intentions and spirit to a pulp. Basic self-preservation necessitates the use of some sort of armor against the office blues—a set of actions or knowledge that can help prevent or worst-case scenario, snap you out of your emotional comatose state and make it through your workday with some semblance of sanity left intact.
Reality Check
One of the best ways to put office mayhem into perspective is to give yourself a very stern and honest reality check. It’s harsh, it’s ugly, and usually burns a bit, but it works every time. You may have wanted to be an astronaut when you grew up, but two kids and a wife or husband later, you’ve found yourself working at Synergy Inc. with an extremely unhealthy dislike for words like teamwork, synergy, and collaboration. You may have just graduated college and taken the first or only job that became available because jobs for new grads are slim to none nowadays. And you may be one of the few people left in your department due to layoffs and cutbacks and know you deserve better pay for taking on the work of five people but, you’re too afraid to rock the boat and risk leaving one more empty spot on the office floor.
Regardless of your situation, the reality is that you have a job. Yes, it may be stressful and full of insane moments, but it does serve a very important purpose: It produces that nice cha-ching sound (some louder or smaller than others) in your bank account every month.
Try getting into the habit of imagining the big “dogs” at work as giant walking dollar signs. The more irrational or stressful they get, the brighter those dollar signs shine. It’s really just as simple as remembering that a job in its most basic form serves one purpose: a method for survival and not a source of enjoyment.
Get a Life
My average workday starts with an unholy gleeful smack to the alarm clock, a groggy and probable dangerous hour’s drive through rush hour traffic, a nine to ten hour workday, another hour’s drive back home, and ends with me practically kissing my front door in relief. As many hours as work takes up in your life, it’s always good to remember that your job is not your life. It is only a part of your overall existence.
You can’t watch a movie with your job, you can’t make love to it, and you can’t get it to laugh at your horrendous jokes. Recalling that there is an escape from the insanity that is your workplace is a good way to battle the office blues. The endless e-mail chains and looming deadlines exist only at work. Outside of work exists your real life—the life that your current job helps you to enjoy. If for some reason you’ve managed to lose track of family and friends, use this as an incentive to look them up and plan that happy hour or weekend BBQ. For those who prefer solitude, I suggest investing in some quality “it’s all about me time.”
Get a Theme Song or Personal Reward
There are very few people who don’t recall the theme song to the movie Rocky. We’ve all hummed it at least once. Why should Rocky be the only one with a musical motivator? I have an entire playlist that I play while at my desk or mentally hum to myself when I’m feeling overwhelmed. The truth is that not only does it help me focus on the issues at hand, but it also helps me to relax and feel more empowered.
If a theme song or playlist doesn’t seem up your ally, having a list of healthy rewards handy can help bump you out of frown-face mode as well. At the end of some bad days, stop at the bookstore and buy yourself that new bestseller you’ve been meaning to read. Make sure to read at least one chapter before going to bed. Make it a point to call your best friend from college and just talk about everything and nothing at all. Stop at a favorite restaurant for some good, old-fashioned mac ‘n’ cheese.
Whether it’s an extra long hug with your child or an extra ten minutes in bed in the morning, give yourself something to look forward to. Having that mental image at work can really help improve your overall mood and downgrade rising stress levels.
Go Forth and Prosper
Maintaining a positive mood in the office can sometimes be difficult. The methods listed above are a great starting point and can be adjusted for individual situations. Whether it’s walking dollar signs or fist-pumping eighties music, learning ways to deal with workplace stress is an important skill that every working person should develop.
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Photo by LYCS LYCS on Unsplash