We all have those days where things just get from bad to worse. Whether it’s incorrect reports, a backlog of work or a communication mishap with your team members, you’re bound to hit a few rough patches at work every now and then. Unfortunately, these bad days can have a major impact on your mental health, especially if they start occurring frequently. Here are a few ways to make your bad workday a whole lot better!
- Take A Break
If your bad day at work is caused due to a clash between employees or difficulty with an external figure, try removing yourself from the situation to cool down and collect your thoughts. Studies have shown that taking a brief break from work can vastly improve your focus, which will help you allow logic to dictate your further course of action. A five-minute break in the coffee room works but if you’re lucky enough to have an office that is surrounded by nature, research shows that just 10 minutes of greenery is enough to make you feel less stressed and lower your blood pressure. So the next time you feel an argument brewing just take a quick breather because the last thing you want to do is to say something in the heat of the moment that you will regret later.
2. Focus On The Solution
The worst thing you can do when you’re having a bad day is stress about things you cannot rectify, instead, try focusing on what you can do to fix the situation you’re in. As author, life coach and business strategist Tony Robbins once said, “Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.” Once you pinpoint the root cause of the issue you can actively work towards resolving it and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. The sense of purpose that comes along with being a solution-oriented employee will automatically make you visualize the future instead of lamenting about the past, thereby making you less stressed.
3. Stand Up For Yourself
If your bad work days seem to be more frequent than your good days and are often caused due to the actions of another coworker, it is important to open up to your superior and express the difficulties you’re facing. Research has shown that repressing your emotions, especially negative feelings, can actually intensify the despondency that you’re feeling. The only way to ensure that you don’t keep having the same problem over and over again, especially if it is no fault of yours, is to stand up for yourself. When your boss realizes that you— a valued and hard-working employee— is struggling, they will step in and help improve the work atmosphere.
4. Leave Work at Work
A great tip to ensure that you start tomorrow off on a good note is to resolve your conflicts and issues on the day they arise themselves. Try to wrap up your day on a clean slate so that you don’t have to carry the burden of work once you leave the office. If you’re currently working from home, leaving work at work can be a little more difficult for you, especially when you have reminders of work all over your house. According to certain reports, nearly a third of all work from home employees feel they can’t switch off from work during their personal time. In order to avoid this and achieve a work-life balance, try switching off your work devices after office hours and work in a designated space in your house so that you can disassociate from your job once you’re done for the day.
All said and done, bad days are bound to happen every now and then, the only thing that truly matters is how you handle it. And as the brilliant entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” So, don’t let your bad days get you down, but instead, stand tall and push ahead to a better day.
