An average person spends 90,000 hours of their life at work. If you are unhappy with your job, the time required will be much longer.
Thankfully, a leading British work psychologist, Professor Cary Cooper, has shared some tips through his ‘The Conversation on How to Make our Workplace Happier’, based on a research project for the British government and his extensive years in the field.
Being stuck behind a desk all day, and not getting any time to get out and about is the worst thing about the work and profession. Cooper maintains the importance of keeping physically active as it can help diminish the “emotional intensity” and free up some headroom to think about anything that’s on your mind.
The physical effects can be rewarding, too. Trying to stay active can have a positive impact on your heart rate and boost oxygen to the brain. In return, this can help with any mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety.
Many of us are not able to do exercise daily and it’s not possible, walking to and from work is useful for breaking up the working day. If the commute by public transport is too long, Cooper suggests hopping off a stop early and walking the rest of the way to work.
Having a good relationship with your co-workers is another great way to feel happy at work. Cooper believes that “the more you invest in your relationships at work, the more enjoyable you may find your day.”
This doesn’t mean you all have to be great friends, but if you take the time to know and understand your colleagues, you’ll find your working day a lot more enjoyable. And on those tricky days when work is getting you down, you may be able to lean on your co-workers for support.
According to research, learning a new skill is another brain booster. Cooper explains that remaining “cognitively active” is beneficial to our general mental health.
While hobbies such as learning to draw or sew can be very useful, skills such as learning a new piece of software can help both our brain and our career.
Part of our working life often involves planning for the future. In fact, we can be so focused on those long-term decisions that we move away from what is important in our present lives.
Cooper believes that taking time to enjoy the now will help you to appreciate what’s actually going on in your life. While he claims that meditating can be a useful tool for achieving this gratitude, Catholics can turn to prayer and praising God as a useful way of being truly in the present.
We can often focus on all the negatives in our lives. However, Cooper states that if we try to bring a little more positivity to our mindset, life at work will be happier.
This doesn’t mean that you suddenly have to become a positive person. It’s more a question of recognizing the things that are good in your life. “Accept there are things at work or in life you can’t change and concentrate on the things you have control over,” suggests Cooper.
This may be easier said than done for some people, but Cooper says we need to be mindful of falling into unhealthy habits while dealing with stress.
This is much easier said than done, but it’s important to know when it’s time to switch off from work. While this may mean setting realistic deadlines, trying to work more efficiently, or sometimes saying “no” to your boss, by finding time to enjoy life outside of work, you’ll be happier when the work day comes around.