Wee Feast

So many people I chat with seem to be going through a tough time at work these days. It seems only appropriate to reference Gloria Estefan (well, that seems appropriate to me more than you’d think) and talk about how to turn your beat around.

One of my friends thinks the key is to grab on to a sense of perspective: ”If someone is yelling at you because their coffee is 100 degrees instead of 102 degrees, then you have to realize that they are an idiot. That kind of thing you should let roll off of you. Realize that only a miserable human with their own set of issues would take the time to focus so negatively on minuscule things like that.”

Another usually sets rewards for herself, and focuses on what’s on the other side of her heinous day: the gym, Trader Joe’s, and a straight-to-Disney-channel TV movie usually does it for her: “The way I see it, it’s all about balance. If you’re going through a shitty time at work (or in any other part of your life that you don’t have much control over), work as hard as you can on making everything else ideal. Give yourself something to look forward to at the end of the day that will help you forget about the stress and ridiculous bullshit that’s taking place. Ideally, all of that fun and positivity will help to counteract the negativity going on at work. I think you’ll find that work days and weeks go by a lot quicker if you have fun things to look forward to on your nights and weekends.”

Here are some more things to consider:

• Identify the problem, and try to solve it as quickly as possible.
• Leave if you can. Just go.
• Hit the gym, take a walk, climb the stairs, do some push-ups—just get the tension out of your muscles.
• Fantasize about things you enjoy. Spend time working out a new recipe for muffins in your head, think about the new books you’ll pick out at the library, look forward to meeting friends for a late-night sauna.
• Decide you are not going to let your circumstances bother you. Take pride in your ability to “get things done” regardless.
• Try and look at things in a different way. If someone else is driving you insane, can you find a way to understand things from their angle? Does it help?
• Fire up your music, loud.
• Lean on a friend. This is especially great if it’s not your roommate, so that when you get home your venting is already done.

Final tip? Do something nice for someone else. Share your best tips to reverse your worst days in the comments.