Have a case of the Mondays? Except it’s not Monday, it’s actually Tuesday or Thursday? The 9 to 5 grind takes a toll on employees and the workaholic lifestyle leads many to become unhappy at work. Whether it’s stress from work overload, negative coworkers or dissatisfaction from doing the same tasks week after week, being unhappy at work doesn’t do favors to your mood, work performance or personal life. The anxieties and stresses are brought home and wreak havoc on personal lives.
It’s proven that happy workers are productive workers. In her book, “Happiness at Work: Maximizing Your Psychological Capital for Success”, author Jessica Pryce-Jones says happy workers get promoted more, earn more, get more support, generate better and more creative ideas, achieve goals faster, achieve greater success and are healthier. This shows how being happy at work offers great benefits.
If you’re unhappy at work and you’re at your wits end ready to quit or throw a massive angry fit, consider these helpful tips to turn your frown upside down.
Stop Procrastinating
Your desk is piled high with work to be done, but you keep putting it off and instead you surf the web watching funny YouTube videos. Having a lot to do in a short amount of time causes stress and when you procrastinate and leave work to do at the last hour, it makes you feel overwhelmed. Procrastination is also a sign of how dreadful your tasks may have become to you. There are two solutions to this problem. The first is to do all the work you don’t really want to do first thing in the morning. One of my co-workers does this and she says it makes her relieved to get it done first thing in the morning. This leaves space during the rest of the day to not worry about it and do more fulfilling tasks. The second thing to do, if you lack motivation, is to actively seek out new tasks, roles, projects or even a new job in the department.
Set Your Goals
All the frustration and stress that’s causing you to feel unhappy at work has shrouded the reason why you work there in the first place and how its helping you reach your ultimate career goal. Write down a career plan to keep things in perspective. This will motivate you to work and bring a sense of purpose to the work that you do.
Communicate
Express what’s making you unhappy to your boss because they may offer you a solution. They can also give you critical feedback on your work. Who knows, you may feel like you’re performing well when in reality your boss thinks you’re rocking it. Positive feedback and encouragement from your boss is a great morale booster.
Make (Good) Friends
Build better relationships with co-workers by having a positive attitude. It may be that your bad attitude has hindered you from making friends. Also, steer clear of being friends with those that gossip and are negative, this will only keep you unhappy. A smile can be infectious, so if you surround yourself with happy co-workers you will find yourself in a better mood.
Go Outside
If you’ve been living in your cubicle from 9 to 5 without a breath of fresh air, it’s no wonder you’re unhappy. Take a nice walk around the block to clear your mind or go out to lunch with a friend from work. Leaving the office will better your mood, boost your energy and make you feel more relaxed.
Find a Job Elsewhere
If nothing helps change your dissatisfaction towards your job then, if possible, you should look for a new job. Changing careers may be stressful, but it’ll pay off if it’s a job you know will make you happier than where you are now.
There’s nothing worse than having that Monday feeling every day. Happiness is all about attitude and if you change the way you think about work, surround yourself with positive people and work towards your goals, there’s nothing you can’t conquer.
SOURCE: Business Insider
IMAGE:: Courtesy of Body and Soul
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