How Staying Positive Helps at Work?
Having a positive attitude means being optimistic about situations, interactions, and ourselves. People with positive attitudes remain hopeful and see the best even in difficult situations. In contrast, those with negative mindset may be more pessimistic and disagreeable, and typically expect the worst outcome in tough situations. While having a positive attitude doesn’t necessarily make us less stressed, it can equip us with the tools we need to cope with stress in a healthier way.
In this article, we’ll go over what a positive attitude looks like, the methods we can use to cultivate and keep a positive attitude, that can help you maintain a positive outlook in work and life. Having a positive attitude is easier said than done. By adopting some of the following five tips, we all can maintain a positive mindset through highs and lows of life and have a positive outlook that will teach us to appreciate and be grateful for the good things that we have in life. We must approach every day with an appreciative mindset.
Let’s take a look at the ways a positive attitude can manifest in your work and personal life.
1. Self Care
It’s always important to take care of both our physical and mental health. It can feel overwhelming when we’re having a full-time job or working for ourselves that requires us to constantly interact with people — be it customers, prospects, colleagues, or managers — in high-pressure situations. To keep moving forward with a positive attitude, it’s essential that we take a step back and treat ourselves to something special.
Self-care doesn’t mean to be selfish. Consider the ways we can unwind, de-stress, and have some “me” time. Some people like to go for a long drive with themselves only, watching a movie, baking, reading, calling a friend, staying in. No matter what it is. By allowing ourselves, these moments of rest, we can ensure a more positive attitude when we’re on the work grind.
2. Wakeup Fresh
It’s easier to stay positive all day if we implement it right getting out of bed each morning. That dreaded moment when the alarm goes off can often lead to irritation, which sets us on the path to have a negative vibe all day. If you’re not a morning person, consider waking up a half hour or an hour earlier than usual. Here again, give yourself time to do the things you love; go for a run, relish in a hot shower, have a cup of coffee, and make yourself a fresh breakfast.
Dress up to begin a successful day, listen to your most favourite playlist while commuting to work. It seems ironic, but sad music may actually help boost your mood. According to a research study, many people tune into sad songs as a form of mood enhancement. When your morning is more productive and less rushed, you’ll be sure to head to work in higher spirits. That morning glow will spread throughout your day, and then, the cycle can repeat.
3. Indulgence into Politics
Workplace Politics — a taboo for some of us. Some young, innocent, new entrants to the corporate world may ask: Does Workplace politics even exist in the corporate sector? The fundamental question here is that can we intelligently avoid it? We may have negative feelings about it. We may think we’re taking the high road by ignoring it. However, our lack of attention to what’s happening at the workplace can be extremely dangerous, especially when we have ambitious colleagues working in a competitive environment.
To some, gossip is their bread and butter. However, the mere act of saying things — whether or not they are true — behind someone’s back that you wouldn’t say to their face is negative. In the workplace, gossip leads to an unstable, unsafe, and disagreeable work environment. After all, if you’re spreading rumours about your colleagues, chances are they’re doing the same about you.
4. Don’t Miss Out Humour
Studies have found that laughter lowers stress, anxiety, and depression. It also improves coping skills, mood, and self-esteem. Be open to humor in all situations, especially the difficult ones, and give yourself permission to laugh and laugh out loud (lol) as much as you can (without annoying others). It instantly lightens up the mood and makes things seem a little less difficult. Even if you’re not feeling it; forcing yourself to laugh can improve your mood and lowers stress.
In the long-term, laughter — and the positive thoughts associated with laughter — can release neuropeptides, which fight stress and other serious illnesses. It can also help us cope with difficult situations and make us feel happier. By cracking more jokes, we can make humour out of potentially negative situations at work, and — at the same time — prepare our body and mind for a more positive outlook.
5. Personal Time, Soul Time
Last but not the very least, no matter someone believes in God or not and whatever you want to name the form, meditation or prayer helps us heal in all facets of our lives. With the competitive market situation and stress levels, we all are under immense pressure. Some of us can take that kind of pressure while others simply breakdown and give up.
The Cambridge dictionary defines Meditation as “the act of giving your attention to only one thing, either as a religious activity or as a way of becoming calm and relaxed,” or “serious thought or study, or the product of this activity.” Meditation forms can involve focusing, relaxing, pondering, or similar expression and forms.
Proper meditation can decrease workplace anxiety for those in high-pressure work environments, such as in customer support or service. Even five minutes a day is a great start to a meditation routine.
Final Takeaway
Remember the famous example of “Glass half-empty or half-full”? It is a meaningful expression and tells us how do we think. Positive thinking isn’t magic and it won’t make all of our problems disappear instantly. What it will do is make problems seem more manageable and help us approach hardships in a more positive and lighter way. Again, Point 5 of this article has a lot to do with this. Consider it!!!
To cut the long story short, if we have a positive mental attitude, we can deal with stress and negative situations in a much healthier way. Having a positive outlook naturally results in a more optimistic view of life. Rather than thinking “the grass is always greener in the neighbor’s yard,” we lose direction and fall into trap of negativity. It is a difficult frame of mind, but can cope and bounce back. Not only that, but you can accept that things turned out the way they did, rather than being in denial. Those with a negative attitude will dwell and ruminate over negative events.
About the Author
Muhammad Sajwani is the Founder and Managing Director of Evolve HR which aims at transforming, enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan, Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders. As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.
