How to Push Through a Rough Patch at Work |
Posted: January 15, 2018 |
No matter how much you may love your job, at some point in time, we are all going to go through a rough patch. Whether it's a new supervisor that seems to have unrealistic expectations and demands, a major project with an almost impossible deadline or a coworker that you just can't seem to get along with, any number of things can sour even the best of jobs. Sometimes a rough patch can last a few days or weeks, but sometimes a seriously rough patch can go on for months. Whether you just need to get through a few rough days or a long, drawn-out battle at work, here are three tips to help you push through a rough patch at work. 1. Stay grounded outside of work While it is of course important to be invested in your work, it is just as important to have outside interests, hobbies and relationships. These become particularly important when things become rocky at work. If all of your friends are people you work with, you have no one to safely go blow off steam with or help you gain an outside perspective on how to deal with work issues. Without outside interests and hobbies, you run the risk of work issues consuming you 24/7. Perhaps one of the most important tools for making it through rough patches at work is to have something outside of work that will help you completely disengage from whatever your work issue is and give you a few hours respite from worrying about it or dealing with it. When you are able to take a breather from your work issues, you may find you are able to tackle the problem with new vigor and an enlarged perspective. 2. Eat healthy and supplement your diet Stress triggers the release of a number of different hormones related to our fight or flight mechanism. When we are under the most stress is when we are most likely to eat poorly, drink more heavily or engage in a wider range of unhealthy behaviors. Cortisol in particular is a stress-related hormone that has been linked to a number of different chronic health conditions including obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease, just to name a few. Understanding the effects that stress has on our body will help you to combat it properly. There are a number of vitamins and supplements that are also available that can help you combat a number of different work-related issues. Nootropics are cognitive enhancers or "smart supplements" that can help you gain clarity, stay focused, get a quick mood boost or help alleviate stress. 3. Get moderate exercise and good sleep Adrenaline is another hormone that is triggered when we are under stress, which provides a quick energy boost that needs to be burned off. While getting in a good 30 minutes to 1 hour of exercise a day can have a huge benefit, even shorter bouts of more moderate activity can be just as beneficial. When you feel the stress rising, get in the habit of taking a brisk 5-15 minute walk. This will help burn off the adrenaline triggered by stress and help you keep a cool head. Getting a good night's rest every night will also help you recharge your batteries and help keep you operating at peak performance. Remember that stress and exhaustion can also compromise your immune system and make you more prone to catching colds and other viruses from coworkers. Perhaps the last thing you need when you're already under stress or under a deadline is to be fighting off a cold or flu. Probably the most important thing when dealing with a rough patch at work is to take good care of your health. Eating right, getting good sleep and moderate exercise will help you think clearly, give you the energy you need to make it through and even help you deal more calmly and irrationally with irrational coworkers or others who may be under the same stress you are.
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