1. Happiness
at work
The subtle art of switching off
Step away from the office. We repeat, step away from the office Your glass is half full. No really, it is
Sadly, leaving the office doesn’t always mean the office has left us. In fact, Ever notice how you remember (and believe) an insult far more easily
we’re sometimes so entirely caught up with our working lives that the first than a compliment? That’s because we’re so programmed to focus on
thing we do when we step foot through the front door is talk about work, the bad stuff, that the good stuff gets lost in a big old sea of negativity;
then we spend the rest of the night thinking about work. Oh, and come and that’s why we tend to focus on what went wrong with our day,
the next morning? Yep, you guessed it; we’re toddling off back to work. instead of what went right. To help you with that deep and illusive quest
to positivity, make a list of everything that made you feel good during the
Learn the subtle Even if you love your job (and if you don’t, you need to talk to us), you day; whether it’s professional praise or simply a smile from a stranger.
art of switching off shouldn’t live and breathe work every second of the livelong day - you It’ll help you to focus on something other than those work-time niggles.
after work know what they say about all work and no play.
If you’re socialising with colleagues, leave office chat at the door
Ok, so it’s perfectly natural to give some thought to what’s happening There’s no denying that having friends at work makes everything much
in the office (it takes up a pretty enormous part of your life after all), and less like hard work, but if you regularly socialise with them out of hours
if you have deadlines to meet or there’s problems going down, it can - or during your lunch - it can be all too tempting to find yourself talking
be really hard to detach yourself completely; but when your wellbeing, about everything from workplace worries to what you think of your new
relationships and even performance at work stand to suffer from an boss. The trouble with that is, once again, you’re not leaving the office
inability to give yourself a bit of respite, it’s time to take action. Serious behind when you should be making the most of some much deserved
action. No, we’re not talking about up and leaving; you just need a bit ‘me time’. So make a new rule: thou shalt not discuss work out of the
of guidance in the subtle art of switching off. office. And make sure everyone takes the oath before you hit the pub.
Limit your rants Don’t take your work home with you
We love a good rant. Of course we do; we’re British. We like to moan and Ok, so this is sometimes easier said than done when you’ve got a
then not really do anything about it; but at least we got it off our chests and deadline to meet or a big project is going down, but as a general
we feel that bit better about it. So we would never deny you that wonderful rule, you should always try to avoid taking work home with you.
right - but when it comes to ranting about work, get it over with. And Because checking your emails at home or taking paperwork out of
quickly. Call a friend on your way out of the door, then make a promise to the office is the surest way of blurring the lines between your
yourself not to talk about work again for the rest of the evening. professional and personal life.
Start the night right Ultimately, it’s going to be pretty difficult to perform at your peak if
Ok, so we can’t make the housework magically disappear, but we can you’re bogged down with work every hour of the day. When you’re
offer you a word of advice: do something fun first. Whether you unwind away from the office, try to take your mind somewhere else entirely -
in a delicious bubble bath or read a few chapters of the book you’ve preferably somewhere relaxing or delightfully exciting - so that when
been meaning to read for months (you know the one), take half an you come back, you’re refreshed and raring to go.
hour to relax. You’ll be amazed at the effect it has on your mood.
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