Whether you love your job or hate it, chances are you have experienced a bad day at work. When you’re in the thick of it all, you may feel trapped. Try to get through your next bad day at work and still come out with a smile with these tips…

1. Count your blessings (no matter how few). When the going gets tough, get out a pen and paper and name five things that are just fine right now. If those five come easily, list more. It’s part of our nature to solve problems, but if we focus too much on what’s broken, we can lose sight of all that’s going right around us. Once you help yourself shift gears back to positive thinking, you’ll be back on track for the work day (or at least until the next crisis).

2. Admit your mistakes (yes, you’re imperfect). It’s not a bad idea to confess when you’ve messed up. Be proactive to resolve the problem rather than fretting over what was incorrect. If it’s too late to fix the problem, develop a game plan for how you can do better next time. If you were wrong, own up to it. Chances are your colleagues and especially your subordinates will respect you more for it. Letting go of the guilt can also help reduce your stress level.

3. Call out your bad mood (yea, you). Being in a bad mood is not that bad. But being in a bad mood while trying pretend you’re not isn’t a pretty sight. Acknowledge your mood. Perhaps even warn others of it or apologize: “I’m sorry. It’s not you, I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.” Be open with coworkers by letting them know you’re having a rough day.

4. Start your day over (right now). You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to start your day over. Do it now. Physically leave your desk. Decide in your mind to “begin” your day again on a better note. Refresh your mind. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Close your eyes if needed. Then return to your work and re-greet the day.

5. Take some quiet time (alone, if possible). To prevent yourself from doing or saying something that you might regret later, it may be a good idea to withdraw a little if you can. Take a little walk during your lunch break. Sit and work someplace quiet. Take a longer than necessary trip to the bathroom. Make time for a break from the computer, meetings, reading or whatever you do for any length of time.

6. Prevent the bad (before it happens). Do something so that a day starts well. Exercise, drink coffee or a fruit smoothie, talk a stroll outside, read something inspirational, call a friend or family member. Do whatever works for you. Once you’ve found the morning routine that helps, keep it up. Getting a positive jump start can help lessen the road bumps that arise in your day.

7. Laugh a little (or a lot). It’s true even at the office, laughter is good medicine. Watch something funny, play a game online with a friend, look at a photo of your family. Cheer up a coworker. Most importantly, remember to laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself or your job too seriously. Most of us aren’t in fields like neurosurgery, so we can afford to lighten up. No matter what you do, keep all things in perspective while you’re on the job.

8. Pinpoint the problem (the real one). Don’t be too quick to judge a problem. In the stress of a moment, you might be seeing this out of proportion. On the surface, it may seem like a project is falling apart, but under it all, the real source of the chaos is a single miscommunication or one misplaced document. After you recognized the actual source of a bad situation, it’s much simpler to find a resolution.

9. Examine things (inside out). A bad mood may not necessarily be connected to an obvious, external factor. Perhaps you just slept poorly, are coming down with the flu, or are just having hormonal swings. Do not try to justify a bad mood with the actions or faults of others. Instead, try to look inside yourself first. Don’t be rude and unpleasant to innocent bystanders. Chances are that you were having a bad day well before they crossed your path, so don’t take it out on them.

10. Distinguish the difference (among the bad). Keep in mind that there is a difference between a bad relationship and a bad boss or coworkers. Many times you may not work with those who are intentionally spiteful, unethical or unfair. Instead, you may just need to learn how to work together better towards common goals. Recognizing that the relationship is the source of the tension allows you to work on improving it with communication and honesty. And remember, sometimes your boss and your peers might be having a bad day as well. While you can only control your own actions and reactions, you can also cut others some slack too.

Here’s hoping you have fewer bad days at work!

Posted on 3/11/2014

Written by Meredith Mathews

Meredith Mathews is Creative Director at Half Price Books, America’s largest family-owned new and used bookstore chain. Fourth generation SMU alum, she graduated from the Temerlin Advertising Institute. She is a copywriter, designer and strategist. Meredith’s favorite things in life are spending time with family, autumn breezes, snow- capped mountains, stringed instruments, hats, and baking. You can follow her on Twitter at @msquare21.

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