Brightening Up Your Mood In Your Workplace

Now that you’ve had a chance to settle into the new year and the excitement of the holidays has worn off, we know you might be experiencing a bit of a slump–especially during these colder, darker winter days. But keep in mind that the solstice has passed, and each day moving forward will only be getting brighter! Let that brightness inspire a holistic sense of positivity, allowing you to increase your energy both physically and mentally. After all, you’ll be showing up for your workplace community as your full self each day. Let your unique professional strengths shine. The suggestions from the pros that we’re highlighting below will help boost your mood and brighten up any professional environment.

We love this quick, easy, and free method for mood boosting from Kenya McCullum at Learn to Become: “Drink water. People who are suffering from anxiety and depression often neglect basic self-care activities, including drinking water. Staying hydrated at work can go a long way toward helping people concentrate and stay centered, which may reduce the effects of stressors in the office.” We’re mentioning this suggestion because we need to remind ourselves, too! If you’re reading this, pause what you’re doing and take a sip of water. Also consider other activities you may have allowed to fall by the wayside: for instance, have you eaten yet today? And if you HAVE eaten, was it just a sugary snack or something with more nutrients? Staying properly hydrated and fueled will help boost your mood. If you’re struggling to attend to these tasks, don’t feel ashamed–given the time of year and the current unprecedented circumstances, we know you might be struggling with mental health. And if you’re experiencing that, these small tasks can seem like huge obstacles. Our job is to serve as your cheerleaders, to offer you friendly reminders and insights. And today, as your cheerleaders, we’d like to remind you that you have the strength to drink some water. Please do so!

The pros at Beyond Blue also offer up a tip to help you exert a bit of agency amidst our current, chaotic circumstances: “Set boundaries for ‘me time’. Put some time in your planner to recharge and not think about work. Turn your phone or emails off during that time to allow yourself to have a proper break and pursue something that will help you unwind. This should be a daily thing – whether it’s time for family, friends, exercise or watching TV.” Just like making a to do list, setting up a schedule will also allow you to break down nebulous entities into manageable, concrete increments. Setting a reminder on your phone to take time for yourself can also help provide you with an extra push to actually engage in an activity that brings you joy. Even though you’ll be using your phone for this task, be careful to not get sucked into “doomscrolling.” You’ll be okay even if you don’t catch each breaking news development right as it happens. And don’t worry about feeling indulgent. You may not feel like you’re allowed to have fun. But you are! So, please don’t punish yourself. Instead, let yourself do something you love. Doing so will provide you with an extra boost to help you keep going, within your workplace or beyond. 

If you’ve made it this far, stop what you’re doing and take another drink of water. Now, welcome back! Throughout difficult periods (and we know that now is an especially difficult period in time) it can be easy to forget to prioritize your needs. Making sure you’re hydrated and fed is the first step in pulling yourself out of a bad mood. Once you’ve met those basic needs, make sure you’re also taking time to unwind, to rest and recharge, and to put some mental distance between you and whatever it is that is upsetting you. It’s more than okay to turn off the news for a bit, and to instead put on a fun TV program or dance music. Leaning into what brings you cheer will help keep you going, allowing you to show off your professional strengths in any professional environment all throughout January 2021 and beyond. Join us again tomorrow for a midweek boost with our Wednesday Wellness: Happy edition!

Image retrieved from Pixabay under the public domain.

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