From the mouths of clients: “What a horrid week! I am exhausted. I am grouchy. I am worn out. If I died and went straight to hell, it would surely be better than work.” If this resonates with you, continue reading to rid yourself of any signs of grouchiness and to put yourself in a positive mindset before closing the office door and heading home to start your weekend. The first step toward change is awareness. If you are like most people, you tend to focus almost exclusively on bad things at work and ignore the good things. It’s called the negativity bias. We pay more attention to bad experiences and dwell more on negative information. “Our negative experiences stick to us like Velcro, while our positive experiences slide right off us like Teflon.” ~ Rick Hanson, author of Hardwire Happiness.
Thus, the secret to overcoming negativity is to consciously and proactively shift our attention to things that make us feel good. A positive attitude may not have the power to change bad situations, but it positively increases our mental strength to successfully manage life’s (and work’s) challenges. Here are three strategies to jump-start positive thinking: 1. Take a “Time-Out”: Engage your mind
A mindful reflection of the high and low points of your week before walking out the office door can allow you to gain perspective and celebrate the things that went well; focus on adding some good things, one at a time to grow your happiness pile. Extra help: what is the funniest thing that happened to you this week? 2. Unplug: Engage your body
In a 24/7 culture, many of us can’t entirely disconnect over the weekend. Make sure you have time to unplug and disconnect from the rat race. Shut off your brain work: don’t think about work, don’t obsess about unfinished projects or unresolved issues, and just breathe and be. Do something that will remind you that life is good. Your choice is personal: work out, read, take a relaxing bubble bath, watch a movie, listen to music, spend time with positive people, or anything that’s meaningful to you. Give yourself the gift of “me” time. Extra help: choose wisely, what activity is most likely to put you in a good mood? Do more of what lights your heart up. 3. Plug-in: Engage your soul
When all else fails, and bad things happen at work, it’s time to redirect mental energy to find things in your life to be grateful for. Shift your focus and change your mood through positive actions:
Write down all the things for which you are grateful, that have gone well, or that made you happy in the past week. Writing establishes and sustains the focus on the positive. Positive emotions broaden our sense of new possibilities and open our mind to more choices.
Lend a helping hand: helping others help us feel better about ourselves; it’s a huge mood booster. Being in a good mood helps decrease stress levels and increase energy levels and motivation to tackle things with a fresh perspective.
Pay it forward: make it a habit to end your day by sending out at least one gracious “thank you” note or a gratitude email. This will ensure you end off your day in a positive state.
And remember: no matter how hard things were today, tomorrow is a brand new day, a fresh opportunity for new beginnings, unlimited possibilities, and an abundance of choices.
