We hear the statistics often—over half the population is not content with their current job. Among boomers, that level of satisfaction is a bit higher as they have had time to put in the hard work and dedication to find their ideal job.
Yet even those lucky enough to have found their dream job will still have the occasional bad day at work. Maybe you have the Monday blues every now and then. Maybe it’s ‘Hump Day’ that gets you down. Or maybe after a long week, it’s just tough to get through Friday. Whatever the case, those bad days will creep up on you eventually so learning how to take them in stride is helpful for any professional. Have a look at our tips and turn your next bad work day around.
Don’t start pitying yourself.
When you’re hit with a bad work day, it can be very easy to start feeling sorry for yourself. You start to sink into a bottomless pit of “why me” thoughts, but the truth is that you have no reason to feel sorry for yourself. Your bad day is no different than what hundreds, thousands and millions of others are going through at the same time. In reality, you’re probably not even the only one in your office having a bad day. So don’t go looking for sympathy, don’t treat yourself to a junk food lunch, and put things into perspective.
Try to pinpoint the real problem.
Sometimes your bad day isn’t necessarily the result of one specific cause. Sometimes it is one thing but that cause can get lost among the rest of the day. Identifying what is giving you the biggest problem is a good way to deal with the problem. Your anger or frustration may have you focused on one aspect while ignoring the real issue at hand. Take a step back and assess the whole situation and see if a solution can be found.
Consider how you’re contributing to the problem.
Every now and then, you can just wake up in a bad mood. You didn’t sleep well, you’re not looking forward to another long work day and traffic was bumper to bumper the whole way in. It’s a bad start to the day but it’s out of your control. Don’t bring that bad energy into work and make your day and everyone else’s day worse. It’s completely normal to get frustrated but don’t stew in that frustration and let it taint the rest of your day.
Get some exercise.
It might seem like exercise is represented as the cure-all for every one of life’s problems, but for stress relief, you can find very few more effective methods. It might seem difficult to squeeze in any exercise time during the day, but even a walk on your break or during lunch can help clear your head and calm you down.
Don’t take it out on others.
Dealing with your coworkers and colleagues can be especially trying during a bad day. It could even be that some of them are at the root of your issues. Sometimes we don’t see eye-to-eye with everyone at work and it can make for a few unpleasant situations. But remember to keep things professional. There’s no need to direct your anger at other people in the office and blame them for your mood.
Leave it at work.
The nice thing about a bad day at work is that you get to leave all the problems at the office. Sure, there may be problems that await you when you get to work the next day, but at the end of the work day you’re free from the day’s worries. Unwind at home, spend time with your family and do whatever helps you relax.
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