UNITED STATES—Life, we have our good days and we have our bad days. Last week, I will argue was a very trying week for me to say the least. There are those weeks that just test you, challenge you and make you question rather you are capable of moving forward. I’m safe to admit, I survived, but at the same time I have to develop better coping skills to combat stress while at work.
Someone once told me the worst thing you can do when starting the work day is worrying about all the bad things that could happen. You are simply drawing negative energy into your orbit when you think about the negative instead of focusing on the positive. Yes, it can sometimes be difficult to focus on the positive, when there is so much negativity. I think we immediately focus on the negative because it bonds us in some way; we can connect with others based on our plight.
We are drawn to the negative because it allows us to stir up a conversation to have something to give us momentum to move forward. However, we shouldn’t allow that one bad co-worker to ruin our day or the entire work week. For example, take a moment and write a bullet point of all the things that you need to accomplish for the day. Why? This way you don’t forget to do something of massive importance. I sometimes get so busy at work; the smallest distraction can cause me to forget something critical that is a must-do.
Take a deep breathe, that is a great way to start of the work day. Don’t focus on the bad, try to focus on the good. For starters, you have a job and just focus all of your energy on the positive things in your orbit and at work. When you channel positive energy it is likely to draw more positive energy into your orbit. If you work in sales, focusing on sales is likely to attract even more sales in the long run.
If you run into a situation where you feel slightly overwhelmed, take a break. Do not be so quick to react without thinking about what you’re doing before you actually do it. Why? You might say or do something that you cannot take back. That tends to happen when we get riled up or angry. We just react without fully considering what we are reacting to. Are we angry at the situation, the person who caused the situation to unfold or something else?
Frustration tends to cause us to react before thinking, but don’t let the enemy (your emotions) get the best of the situation, especially in the work place. Count to five, do whatever you can that allows you to decompress. You might think it’s only five seconds, but it can bring a bit of clarity that goes a long way. That mental checkout from work might generate an idea that you least expected. Something that can help bring revenue to the company, solve a problem that the company has been dealing with.
Now if none of those things work, than you might want to have a chat with upper management or the boss. Why? You may be placed in that predicament where an ultimatum is given, where you make your intentions clear to the company; either it’s me or them. I hate to say that, but if you’re someone who is quite productive compared to your counterpart, you have a strong argument to begin with.
While work can be stressful, no one should ever allow work to stress them to the core. It’s part of life, but don’t allow the stress that you encounter at work to dictate how you live your life.
Written By Kelsey Thomas
