Ways to Keep a Positive Attitude at Work

A positive attitude at work can be the difference between success and failure. We’ve all had those days where being at work seems like the worst thing in the world. Even though we know we are lucky to be employed and to recognise that life requires hard work, sometimes we just get grumpy and may need a reminder of how to stay positive at work. Being in a bad mood is not just unpleasant, but it’s bad for our health and even detrimental to our productivity. Remember that, our attitude at work has a great impact on our work performance. To brighten your day at work, we have compiled tips to keep a positive attitude at work.

Be Professional

Always practise professionalism when you are dealing with any issues at work. There’s a right and wrong way to handle issues that you are facing with co-workers that are affecting your positive attitude at work. Bring issues to your superior, whether that’s your direct manager, boss or owner of the company. Try to approach the matter in an open and constructive way. Noone likes a “tattle-tail” so pick your battles and handle them with dignity. 

Be Friends With Your Co-workers

Even if you have plenty of friends outside work, keeping good relationships in the workplace can have a positive impact. However, try to find the most positive people in the office, and do what you can to be around them. Working with others who have positive attitudes is contagious. Their attitudes will challenge you to be more upbeat and, before you know it, you might be experiencing genuine happiness, in addition to a positive attitude toward work.

Work On Your Stress Level

Often, our attitudes at work are simply carried over from our experiences at home. If you’re stressed about your marriage or relationship, your kids, your finances, or other problems, it’s really hard to maintain a positive attitude at work. Ensure that you don’t allow emotions or personal problems to influence your attitude at work. Here are some exercises to help you loosen up and reduce stress at work. 

Hip Opener

Bring one ankle onto the opposite knee, let gravity draw the knee of the bent leg downwards and open up the hip. For a deeper hip opener slide the foot up higher into the hip crease. Do on both sides for around the same time, for balance. 

Chest and shoulders

Interlacing the hands behind you, draw the shoulder blades together, lift the chest up and look up. Squeeze the palms of the hands together to open out the chest a little more. 

Besides these stretches, you can learn how to pace yourself and relieve both physical and mental tension through some other tips which can be found here.

Learn To Be A Player, A Team Player

If you want to develop a positive attitude at work, you have to learn to be a team player. One of the most important positive things most team players do is shouldering those responsibilities that you are not keen on doing, but you understand that they are a must for the welfare of the team in the future. Your role is to understand the bigger and better aspects here and your effort in allowing it to happen instead of looking at what suits your interest the best. 

Manage Your Workload

If you’re under too much stress, you can’t perform your job to your fullest potential. This can negatively impact your positivity and productivity. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your workload, see what you can do to change it. Ask your coworkers if they have suggestions or are willing to trade-off on certain job responsibilities. Go to your boss (in a professional manner) and see about lightening or adjusting your workload. A less stressed employee is a happier and more productive one.

Smile More

This might seem like a silly piece of advice, but smiling more can actually improve your mood. Even if it’s a fake smile, others will react well to this “new you”. A smile shows confidence and positivity. Even if you don’t embody these feelings when you first start out, in time, your mind will catch up to your body’s display of happiness. Don’t believe it? One study shows that forcing a smile can actually improve your mood because your body associates certain muscle movements with feelings of happiness.

 

For some people, staying positive comes very quickly. But for others, it takes up a lot of time. No matter what job you are doing, there will be times when things will get difficult and uncertain. Don’t stress or worry yourself too much over it. The trick you need to follow here to look past at the dull aspects and focus on the brighter picture altogether. 

 

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Photo Credits: Look, Unsplash

 

Manduka

 

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