Being Happier During Work!

All of us can think of things we dislike about our jobs, and our jobs are usually our favorite things to complain about. We would all much rather be sitting by a beach than working I’d assume, but we all must put in our time. It is up to us how to make the best of our career situations, and below I have outlined ways to give you a better workday.

First, it is important to ensure that you are receiving ample breaks and making the most of them. You should try to get away from your work for ten minutes every two hours if possible to get a snack, walk around, or even call a spouse, whatever de-stresses you and gets you away from the work environment. It is important to move around during this time if your job is sedentary, or sit down and relax during this time if your job is extremely active. Staying at your desk and browsing social media may seem like a good use of your break-time, but it will harm your mood and physical health in the long run. It is also important to make sure you eat regular meals while at work, which typically means taking a half hour lunch during the day, and consuming healthy food that is good for your brain and body. Drinking plenty of water is also essential, not just drinking coffee and energy drinks to survive the day. 

Second, your coworkers are a huge source of how you feel about your job, which of course directly affects your mood! Make an effort to be positive around your coworkers and engage with them whenever possible. Having a “friend” to get through team meetings with makes them all the more bearable, and having people willing to help you when you are behind can alleviate panic and stress during those harder workdays. If you isolate yourself from your coworkers or choose to act negatively towards them you are only hurting yourself and mood, and it is important to fix that as soon as possible.

Third, make an effort to change your day-to-day routine as much as possible to prevent boredom and monotony. Wear different clothes that excite you to your workplace. Change up your meals and drinks. Try to listen to a variety of music during your commute and change up your route. Maybe handle some tasks during the morning and some in the afternoon, and switch the next day. Rotate your chair to a different part of your desk in order to see a different side of the room. Rotate between eating lunch by yourself or with friends. Explore new paths to walk outside your office building during your breaks. Plan different activities for afterwork, such as picking new restaurants to go to with your spouse or games to play. Consciously picking ways to have different workdays is extremely beneficial.

Finally, the atmosphere of your workspace has a huge impact on your work mood. Keeping a tidy desk, decorating your space with pictures of your family, and having bright colors can lift your mood significantly. Make an effort to organize your workspace and keep it free of clutter and garbage. If possible, sit facing a window- natural sunlight and a view of the outdoors has been shown to increase dopamine and productivity while working. Make sure your desk and chair are comfortable too, as you probably spend more time there than you do in your own bed so it is important to invest in work comfort items to preserve your physical health. If you work at a job involving a lot of physical activity, investing in comfortable and supportive shoes and clothes will increase your overall health significantly as well. 

Think about your workspace and how you feel when you are there. Then, think about the things you believe are within your power to change and would make you happier, and begin to change them. Most of us begin our jobs liking them, as it would be too difficult to commit to a career or job without some interest in it. Where we begin to “hate our jobs” is when we allow our days to become routine, unorganized, and unhealthy. We spend around 50 years of our lives working, and no matter how many job switches we make we will never be happy at work unless we make an effort to do so. Start by making an effort to be active on breaks, then try to change the layout of your desk and space to better suit you, then work on changing up your work meals and clothes. Having a better workday means having a better mood at home too, meaning you will have more energy and desire to engage in fun hobbies or pleasant conversations with your loved ones. I hope your next workweek goes well!

Kyndal Sims

Birch Psychology

Resources

https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/health/article/how-to-boost-your-happiness-at-work/

https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/how-to-boost-your-happiness

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindful-anger/201908/improve-your-mood-now