A crazy work week can drive anyone insane. It is stressful and challenging, and it affects your life in many ways. If your work environment is not relaxing enough, you will stress over insignificant things. For example, having an unproductive conversation with your superior might negatively influence your mood. Contradicting with your colleagues over foolish subjects might create useless stress. Being in conflict with your secretary might generate futile worries.
We sometimes find ourselves not knowing how to react to all that. What we do know is that we must make a change. Work life plays an important role in our lives and can become tiring very quickly. On top of that, this unhealthy work environment can make its way into our homes too and result in misunderstandings and arguments with our family.
What to Avoid at Your Working Place
1. Being Perfect
Being perfect is sooooo tiring, boring, and useless! You don’t need to have a perfect desk, office, schedule, outfit, spouse, child, life in order to feel complete. All of these things are supposed to come natural to you. Do not try more than it is necessary. Let life guide you on your path, and live the present moment. Take things as they are.
Unfortunately, there are people who think differently than I do. They are called perfectionists, and their lives can be terrible. Not because they are not good people, but because they overthink everything! Being stressed all day long won’t add anything valuable to your day. You will actually lose more time criticizing yourself than appreciating the good results. Never feel bad about your mistakes – you are human, and this is how you learn!
2. Being Too Vigilant
Stop caring that much! Really – live your dang life. Screw what people think, and be your own kind of beautiful. I am no motivational speaker, but I truly believe that you become what you think. If you are constantly afraid to take action, you’re going to become a coward. If you pay too much attention to detail, you will become a control freak. But if you are courageous and careless from time to time, you will actually become yourself.
Vigilance is good if it’s measured. Unfortunately, people tend to overuse it. Have a great project idea but you’re too afraid to share it? If yes, you are hypervigilant. Have an awesome vision for a new task but you’re too afraid to speak up? If yes, you are hypervigilant. So stop it. Share that idea and contribute. Speak up and be yourself.
3. Being Over Controlling
You must understand that it is never about their actions – it’s about how you react to them. People won’t always be the freaking ray of freaking sunshine that you need them to be. They might be arrogant, selfish, and ignorant. But that’s just the way life goes. You cannot control everything, and you don’t need to. Your colleagues’ behaviour depend solely on them. The only thing you can do about it is react positively.
Craig Larry, CEO at Essaysontime, believes that “Trying to control other people’s lives is tiring for both you and them. They will constantly feel watched, while you will constantly feel powerless. That is ineffective and unprofitable for both of you.”
4. Involving in Drama
Avoid drama under all possible circumstances! Starting from gossip to useless conflicts, make sure you stay away from it. Overdramatic people never end up being happy. So you don’t need these people in your life. Try to avoid them as much as possible. Even if they are your colleagues, stay as distant as you can. They won’t bring anything positive to your life besides stressful discussions and additional burdens.
If it happened already, and you made friends with one of them, balance the advantages and disadvantages of that relationship. If the minuses outweigh the pluses, you know what you have to do.
5. Bringing Up Personal Affairs
Your workplace is neither a counseling office nor a church. Make sure your problems remain yours as long as you are working. After work, you can always grab a beer with your friends – which may or may not be your co-workers – and tell them all about it. Bringing up personal affairs at the office proves lack of professionalism, so try to avoid it. When other people do it, draw their attention on it. Be assertive if you have to, and don’t hide how you feel.
6. Not Having Boundaries
For the argument’s sake, let’s suppose you have no idea what boundaries are. In their dictionary form, they are defined as lines that mark the limits of an area. In their lifelike form, they are imaginary lines you forbid people to cross. Boundaries must exist in your life regardless of your age. In order to have close relationships, it is essential that your friends and colleagues respect your boundaries, and that you respect theirs.
If you have time-related or emotional boundaries, make it clear to your colleagues. Respectfully let them know where you come from. For instance, if there is no chance on Earth you have time helping a co-worker one day (although they asked nicely for it), make sure you refuse them and explain why.
7. Feeling Burnt-Out
Set up a schedule that works for you. Don’t overwhelm yourself with endless activities – you need to rest in order to be productive. Burning your brains out will provoke countless headaches and unlimited trips to the doctor. The best feeling in the morning is feeling fresh and ready to go! So take your time to relax and don’t load up your schedule with more than you can handle.
All the above things do nothing but drain your soul and energy out of your system. Don’t let yourself be influenced by how other people live, they are not you. Do not try to impress other people and please them. Give up on perfectionism because it’s boring, and set up clear boundaries you want in life. Recognize these moments and don't let them exhaust you.