4 tips to turn around a rough day at work

No matter how much you love your job or how positive you are as a person, bad days happen to all of us. Sometimes, it is a mixture of things going wrong in your personal and professional life that gives you a feeling of worthlessness. At other times, it is a lousy client or an irritable customer that can put you in a sour mood. Whatever the case may be, it is important to not let your bad day turn into a bad week. It can be difficult to look at the bright side of things when you're down in the dumps. Here's a quick guide to help you bounce back from a bad day at work.

Image : shutterstock

Take a time-out

If you're having a horrible day and you feel you're on the verge of snapping, remove yourself from the situation. Either step out for lunch and meet a friend who works in the vicinity and rant to them or simply take a few minutes in the washroom to focus on your breathing. It won't help your image or the situation to remove your anger on your colleagues. It is therefore best to take some time out and calm down and then resume work.

Learn to let go

If your rough day is a result of someone else's crummy attitude, don't take it personally. There might be days when your co-worker may take out his anger on you. In such a scenario, it is best to give him some time to calm down before you go and tell them that their behavior towards you wasn't acceptable. Avoid bottling up how a bad day made you feel. Communicating your feelings to someone else can put you in a better mood instantly.

Separate work life from personal life

There will always be a friend asking you for a favor or a family member wanting you to complete a task in your office hours. Make sure that if the responsibility they are asking you to fulfill can wait till you complete work, you convey the same to them. It is never wise to get caught dealing with personal stuff on company hours and setting boundaries for the same will prevent you from taking any additional stress.

Don't take work home

When things go wrong at work, it is easy to take the stress of office hours home. To get rid of a bad day, leave work where it belongs – at work. Establish an end-of-the-day workday routine that signals the completion of your work. This can either be ordering dessert from your favorite bakery or meeting up with friends and family. This way, when things don't go well, your mind can process that work is over and it's time to go home and relax.

Take some time to evaluate what went wrong to avoid doing the same thing in the future. If you practice one or all of the above strategies, you'll be able to easily recover from a rough day at work.