How to Turn Around a Bad Day at Work
Accept your bad mood., Tell others., Look inside first., Remember the good stuff., Let it pass.. You’ve been in a bad mood before., Take some quiet time., Start your day over., Leverage Your Next Good Mood.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Accept your bad mood.
Being in a bad mood is not that bad! Trying to force yourself to cheer up is much, much worse.
Fighting bad moods only prolongs them, so if you’re mad or sad, be mad or sad.
This does not allow rudeness and unpleasantness to innocents, it just means you need to recognize and accept your mood in order to be able to do something about it. -
Step 2: Tell others.
Others will notice if you try keeping your bad mood secret with a happy mask and will wonder if they ticked you off.
Tell them you are not having a good day.
Simply say, "Listen, I’m in a really sour mood today.
I’m not sure why, but it’s nothing you've done.
If I do bite your head off, I'm apologizing in advance."
Successful people aren't always the smartest, but have acquired emotional skills, and rely on being able to recognize and to deal with one's own emotions.
We tend to think that a bad mood is always caused by something or someone else (like trying to deal with a difficult boss).
Bad moods aren't always connected to obvious, external factors.
Perhaps you just slept poorly, are getting the flu, or are just having a bad day.
Don't try to justify a bad mood.
Instead, try to look inside yourself first, in order to ascertain possible precursors to your emotional state. , When you’re in a foul mood, everything is bad.
But the good things you appreciated yesterday, when you weren't as annoyed, should be there
- you just forgot them.
Spend time considering at least one or two things that aren't all bad (something you look forward to, a person you like, something nice that happened recently) and be thankful for that. , It passed, so will this.
It’s no big deal.
If you can't shake the mood, simply wait it out. , To avoid doing or saying something you might regret, withdraw a little if you can.
Walk during your lunch break, sit and work someplace quiet.
Take a long bathroom break.
Consider going home early, or taking the day off. , Why wait until tomorrow to start your day over.
Do it now.
Leave your desk, or where ever
- leave
- decide to start over, as if you slept.
Return to work with a fresh attitude.
This really works, more so with practice. , Once the bad mood wear off, and you feel better, figure out what helped: was it a thought? a song? a friend? an event? When the next "red zone" comes, you will have developed an array of techniques to pull yourself out. -
Step 3: Look inside first.
-
Step 4: Remember the good stuff.
-
Step 5: Let it pass.. You’ve been in a bad mood before.
-
Step 6: Take some quiet time.
-
Step 7: Start your day over.
-
Step 8: Leverage Your Next Good Mood.
Detailed Guide
Being in a bad mood is not that bad! Trying to force yourself to cheer up is much, much worse.
Fighting bad moods only prolongs them, so if you’re mad or sad, be mad or sad.
This does not allow rudeness and unpleasantness to innocents, it just means you need to recognize and accept your mood in order to be able to do something about it.
Others will notice if you try keeping your bad mood secret with a happy mask and will wonder if they ticked you off.
Tell them you are not having a good day.
Simply say, "Listen, I’m in a really sour mood today.
I’m not sure why, but it’s nothing you've done.
If I do bite your head off, I'm apologizing in advance."
Successful people aren't always the smartest, but have acquired emotional skills, and rely on being able to recognize and to deal with one's own emotions.
We tend to think that a bad mood is always caused by something or someone else (like trying to deal with a difficult boss).
Bad moods aren't always connected to obvious, external factors.
Perhaps you just slept poorly, are getting the flu, or are just having a bad day.
Don't try to justify a bad mood.
Instead, try to look inside yourself first, in order to ascertain possible precursors to your emotional state. , When you’re in a foul mood, everything is bad.
But the good things you appreciated yesterday, when you weren't as annoyed, should be there
- you just forgot them.
Spend time considering at least one or two things that aren't all bad (something you look forward to, a person you like, something nice that happened recently) and be thankful for that. , It passed, so will this.
It’s no big deal.
If you can't shake the mood, simply wait it out. , To avoid doing or saying something you might regret, withdraw a little if you can.
Walk during your lunch break, sit and work someplace quiet.
Take a long bathroom break.
Consider going home early, or taking the day off. , Why wait until tomorrow to start your day over.
Do it now.
Leave your desk, or where ever
- leave
- decide to start over, as if you slept.
Return to work with a fresh attitude.
This really works, more so with practice. , Once the bad mood wear off, and you feel better, figure out what helped: was it a thought? a song? a friend? an event? When the next "red zone" comes, you will have developed an array of techniques to pull yourself out.
About the Author
Kayla Henderson
Specializes in breaking down complex lifestyle topics into simple steps.
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