Tips on Happiness and Improvement at Work and with Co-workers

We can all related to work. It’s how we bring bread to the table and survive in our cement jungle. Amy Quinn from Bootstrapper sent me a kind email informing me their new blog post, Work Happy: 25 Ways to Improve Your Mood When People Around You Are Miserable. It’s a good read with useful and practical tips. Below I share some of my own comments regarding each point on their list.

1. Choose to be happy. Every moment is a choice. Being happy is one of them. Being at peace is a step above. If you cannot be happy, at least choose to be at peace. You cannot control anything other than yourself and your choice. Choose how you respond. Choose to be at peace. When you are calm and at peace, you can analyze and respond in a more optimal way than not.
2. Make friends. I endorse that having genuine friends at work helps because I am lucky to have a few. Not only can they offer encouragement, it is helpful to discuss things with people who have the same scope. It can be difficult to explain to someone outside of the environment.
3. Do things you love. If you hate every aspect of your job, and it is a permanent job, it’s time to make a plan to move on.
4. Avoid particularly negative coworkers. There are people who are energy drainer. They suck your energy dry by constantly complaining and being angry at everything and the world. If you are not careful, they can infect you with their negativity. Avoiding coworkers can sometimes be difficult. The ability to be at peace is what can keep you from harm here.
5. Meditate. Meditation is useful beyond that it helps you to relax. Superficially, you notice your muscles are tense and try to relax them. However, meditation involves activities on an inner level, where you identify your thoughts and emotions using awareness. By seeing them, you understand and resolve them because you see that they are all but illusions created by our ego. This is the ability of awareness. This is what helps you to relax because thoughts and emotions create tension in the body. This is my view of meditation in a nutshell. Meditation is a great way to practice awareness and to attain true peace.
6. Take a walk. All the sitting impairs your body circulation. Pressure on the rear, pressing of the arms on desk, tension from bad posture, and simple immobility all restrict your blood flow. Walking will get your circulation going again and get oxygen into your body. Only with sufficient oxygen can your brain function efficiently. In the least, stand up and stretch.
7. Clean and organize your desk I hate clutter. A clean desk gives me peace.
8. Listen to music I do this all the time. Great way to focus and block out coworkers. I share a compact office with 2 other guys. I suggest Sony fontopia headphones that satisfy my need for sound, noise blockage, and price. Either MDR-EX51LP, or MDR-EX90LP if you want improved sound and clarity and got the cash (affiliate links).
9. Personalize your desktop I suggest a few photos. They remind you of the people who make you smile.
10. Eat better A balance diet is a given whether you work or not.
11. Smile Smiling works many facial muscles which helps to release tension. Either way, follow the saying, fake it til you make it because smile is contagious. You will be happier when you make people around you happier.
12. Concentrate on working towards a goal Having multiple tasks on the job is a frequent occurrence. In many companies, it’s probably a given for the employees. Concentrating on finishing one thing at a time will help. By shortening the long list of tasks, you reduce anxiety and lessen the chance for you mulling over the list instead of doing what you need to do. If situation allows, finish the smaller items first.
13. Make someone’s day. Giving is receiving. It’s also how you make friends. If not friends, you make allies. If not allies, you make non-enemies. Give because you want to give. Give because you choose to give. But give in ways that are appropriate in work setting.
14. Count your blessings Try to count the positive things about your own company next time you feel the urge to complain. Let’s be honest. There are things to complain for every company. Quite often, it’s a case of the grass is greener on the other side.
15. Find the humor in it. Humor helps to maintain a light-heartedness. You will suffer a stroke or seizure if you get serious about every details happening at work. If you think you cannot find any humor, go read Dilbert. I also recommend Pearls before Swine for good laughs.
16. Use aromatherapy. I never tried this in office, but I know for a fact that smell is one influential sense for human. Just look at relationship, how smell can be a great turn-on… or turn-off… Maybe I should consider some fragrant plants in the office.
17. Treat yourself. I think people treat themselves too much in the office. It’s more like indulgence. It’s a chocolate, donut, and soda feast… The scale is tipping over…
18. Change your lighting. Your eyes are very important instruments.
19. Shake it off. Back to the point about finding peace. If you are truly at peace, no one can shake you. You can go back to finding humor too.
20. Help out coworkers. You are stuck at work anyways. Why not try to be helpful to the human race? Some people may just return the favor. Don’t expect it though.
21. Try to relate. You both are human beings. You both work at the same place. You both are trying to win some bread home. You both are doing your best to be happy. Wow, so many things in common already and probably many more. Don’t be so quick to judge and get angry. You maybe in the same boat. This is empathy. This will help you make friends.
22. Look your best. This one depends on personal preference. Some people don’t care. Some people do. I do it because it makes me feel more comfortable and confident when I’m well groomed. Plus, appearance does have an impact on others’ impression on you. It’s shallow but yet, undeniable.
23. Get plenty of rest. I got all those sleep debt from college days. I’m paying them back now. Scientifically, your body breaks down toxins and deal with bacteria while you are sleeping. These processes only happen during different stages of sleep. So if you consistently do not sleep enough, you are slowly poisoning yourself. That’s also why adequate sleep can save you from the rage of the pimple army.
24. Take your vitamins. I took them for a period of time with no apparent effect. If you have a balance diet, you shouldn’t have to take supplement.
25. Get out of the office. How long can your body sustain certain productivity level doing work? I’m quite sure it’s not 10-12 hours on a persistent basis. It is important to maintain a work-life balance. Time to get your life priorities straight.

Originally posted 2007-12-15 20:44:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter