It’s 2:30pm. You’re at work and you have little to no energy left. How is it that time is moving so slowly?! You try to look busy. You fantasize about the end of the day. But, really you can’t wait until Friday, so you can finally enjoy yourself. Last weekend was great… why did it have to end?! Who decided to make the weekend so damn short, anyways?!

If any of this sounds familiar, this post is for you.

This attitude is so common, it’s almost a rite of passage in our society, for people to be annoyed with their jobs! Countless movies pay homage to the weekend, and the evils of having to be at work: Office Space, Nine to Five, Horrible Bosses, etc. On Google, there are about 3,420,000 results that come up when you search for “waiting for the weekend”, including a slew of pretty entertaining memes.

                                                          
From Loldox.com                                                                                                              From Pinterest    

 

It’s one cultural norm that we can all bond over. But, does it really send the best message? The weekend is only 28.5% of our week! This idea is actually quite damaging, encouraging you to spend 71.5% of your time miserable. Do you really want to let 5 days pass you by every week? It might make for funny movies, but it sounds like a pretty sucky way to live.

Now I could just write a post with a list of things you can do at work to make your day better, and that will come later. But there’s a reason a lot of that good advice falls on deaf ears. When it comes to really making changes at work, the first thing we have to change the our mindset about it.

1. You have to believe that you have the power to change your situation.

Let’s face it, work has gotten out of control these days! We work longer hours than ever (at least 47 per week). People expect more work to be done, quicker than ever before. One depressing study shows that we spend the majority of our awake time at work these days! This means some of us spend more time with coworkers than with family! Ugh. This sucks a lot more if you don’t enjoy what you do! If you’re over it, you’re not crazy and you’re not alone. We’re worn out and for good reason. I believe in making societal changes to address many of these issues. But there are also things you can do internally to preserve your sanity, as well.

You don’t have to be a passive victim of your lackluster job. If you look at your job as something that is being imposed on you, you will accept that you have no power or ability to change your circumstances. When this happens, you’ll sit back and passively let work consume you, and then complain about later, creating crazy memes like the one above. And, while funny, again, it gets us nowhere.

We are powerful agents of change! Once you accept that you have power, you will be able to change your situation to find greater happiness. You do this by:

• Honoring your breaks and downtime (not overworking)
• Structuring your physical environment in a calming way
• Restructuring your role at the job to make it more connected to your interests
• Pursuing education to open more career doors
• Actively looking for a new job, etc.

If money is an issue (and for most of us it is), you can still make plans and timelines to change your situation. Even if you can’t quit tomorrow, you can make an action plan, take steps towards your goals, and then change your job or leave it altogether. You don’t have to play it safe.

2. You Have to Believe that Your career doesn’t define you.  

Being in such a career-obsessed society, has made some of us a little nuts. Many of us spend more energy and effort improving our resumes than on improving our connections with other human beings. Our lives revolve around work, and I am no exception to this rule. I’ve spent the better part of my career as a workaholic.

But, just to be very clear, your loved ones don’t love you because of your job. They love you for the joy, learning, and enrichment you bring to their lives. Also, you can’t take your career with you when you die (nor should you want to!). I can only assume that no one wants to have “best employee” etched onto your headstone! But we do see “mother”, “father”, “son”, “brother” on headstones for a reason: people remember you for the complex and amazing human being you were. You have to start to remember that about yourself.    

You have to believe that you are more than your job. Or lack of one. You have to believe that you are not defined by what you do. You are not a janitor, teacher, accountant, lawyer, stay at home parent, unemployed, CEO, inmate, etc. You are not defined by that label. You are a human being. One who performs a service, that’s all. You are complex, with feelings, desires, passions, and beliefs. You love and you have people who love you. You matter.

Our society often reduces people to their title and status and dismisses people if the credentials are deemed unworthy. Many of us are caught up in this trap. And as a result, our self-esteem is heavily dependent on how much education we have, and what we do. Your self-esteem should not be wrapped up in what you do. If it is, you feel unworthy, when your situation changes. You can lose all sense of self-worth.

Also, never forget that every moment you are alive and kicking, your very presence on this planet is exciting and miraculous! You’re not meant to be be off in a corner, feeling bad about yourself. You have to remember that you are wondrous and you affect people every day just by being your wondrous self. Don’t get caught up in this superficial trap. You are more than a degree, diploma, arrest record, et cetera. Remember, that education and work, are just supposed to be tools that help you get to a happier life. They are meant to serve you and make you feel more content! Not to trap you or make you feel unworthy.

3. You have to take care of yourself at work

You deserve to take care of yourself. Once you’ve really accepted this, you can treat yourself well day to day while at work. Yes, it is possible for you to have more enjoyment out of the day!

Here are some strategies to help you get in a better mood while at work:

• Practice Gratitude for your job. Yes, even it’s crappy. When I wake up in the mornings and have an attitude about going to work, I carry that with me all day! If, however, I write down all the things my job allows me to do: pay bills, have a home for my family, etc., my attitude is almost immediately better. Also, I think about all of the things I like about my job, such as my co-workers. It really does help.
• Treat your non-work time as sacred. Set limits at work. Take lunch! Take breaks! And I mean, really take it. Don’t think about work. Do things that will rejuvenate you! Examples: hang with friends, read a book, take a walk, be in a quiet space, watch something funny, deep breathing activities. Don’t be glued to your cell phone, because it usually just adds to your mental clutter and stress. The best things are to give your brain a break from electronics.
• Exercise: go for walks, run, do exercises at your chair, stretches. Many websites nowadays offer tips for how to stay fit at work.
• Get Organized. Being organized will help make it easier for you to really turn your brain off when you’re not working. For example, to-do lists are great, because when you have everything you need to do written down, you don’t have to spend a ton of energy trying to remember everything. That’s a break killer.
• Make your space at work remind you of all the things you love. Ex: put up pictures or inspirational quotes.
• Do things you love during the week! Don’t save all the fun activities for your weekend!
• Be present. If you’re at work, be mentally there. Schedule your time so you know what items from your to-do list you will work on at specific times. Then, when you’re home, give your complete energy to that moment. Don’t do things for work while you’re trying to have fun with family and friends. Don’t be on your phone. Give the non-work activities 100% of your focus, the way you would your job, and you’ll find that you more joy in those moments. This, in many ways, is the biggest change you could make to feeling better at work right away.     

What are some things you can do today to improve your attitude about work?