Have you been feeling mentally exhausted at work for quite some time? You cannot even explain how you feel because your job is not too difficult (unless you are saving lives), yet you come home extremamente cansado and feel as if life was drained out of you.
You get Sunday scares and your coworkers are becoming more toxic. Here are a few ways to protect your peace in a toxic workplace.
How Can Work Environments Become Toxic?
If you feel like you are stuck in a workplace where you always feel tense and irritated, it is possible that the environment is toxic and can damage your inner peace.
You may have had an argument with your coworkers or you recently got a new manager that you cannot seem to see eye-to-eye. Feeling stressed out while at work is not healthy as we spend 8+ hours working daily. Some of the signs of a toxic work environment are:
- micromanagement
- bullying
- gossip
- unethical practices
- bosses who do not understand you
- no boundaries
- involvement in personal manners and private lives, etc.
These factors can make us feel like we are tightly bound to our workplace and can lead to severe anxiety, mental breakdowns, and even depression.
If you are a spiritual person, you are aware of how important inner peace is. It is one of the most sacred parts of ourselves as it promotes good physical and mental health.
How To Protect Your Peace At Work
Here are several ways you can protect your peace before you decide to do the most obvious and harsh solution – quit the job.
1. Refocus
Some uncomfortable situations leave us questioning ourselves and for people who have a tendency to overthink, this can be a cause for anxiety and bad moods.
It is important to try to refocus your attention on something else once this happens. The more you feed certain situations the bigger they seem – so put your energy into something more productive. You can even focus on your mantras or positive affirmation and then continue with your day.
2. Create Your Own World
If you cannot cope with constant tantrums or negativo comments from your coworkers, try isolating and creating an environment that is pleasant to you.
For example, you can decorate your desk in your único fashion, bring your personal stuff that will remind you of something positive, and listen to music you like. Relaxing sounds paired with your favorite mug can do wonders – they will help you quiet your mind.
3. Work and Personal Life Balance
No matter how busy you are – you need to find time for your pessoal life. People who bring work home and constantly talk about their work will quickly become overwhelmed and exhausted.
It can kill produtividade and make you dislike your job even more. Once you walk out of your office, try to leave all your work-related thoughts where they belong – at work.
You need to rest and have personal passatempos that will feed your soul. It is important to stay active, to meditate, and to spend time with friends and family. You do not owe any job your personal time.
4. Set Boundaries
As much as personal time is important to have, personal space and mental space is of high importance. You should identify the people at work who make you feel infeliz or disturb your peace.
Even though you probably want to avoid them completely, that’s not always possible. Instead, focus on minimizing your interactions with them as much as you can. It’s also crucial to set clear fronteiras.
Don’t hesitate to let these people know about specific behaviors that bother you. This approach can be very effective if you’re confident in your communication skills. Just make sure to remain respeitoso, especially if the person is in a superior position.
Choose your words carefully and speak up bravely. Explain to them that what they do is disrupting your work and and that it makes you feel bad. This will probably result in better communication practices.
If you try, and they do not change, it is time to ignore these individuals completely in order to protect your peace. If you cannot ignore them, try to minimize the effect they have on you by knowing it is their problem that they cannot stay respectful, not yours.
5. Find a Friend Who Thinks Alike
I remember my last toxic job and how grateful I was to have a amigo who understood how I felt. would highly recommend finding a person who feels the same about the work environment.
Talking to them can be a great stress relief as you will feel like you are not alone. People who surround us play a huge part in developing our coping mechanisms. You can share your feelings, anecdotes, and advice – or even laugh it off. Nourish friendships that nourish you and you will feel much better.
6. Is It Worth It?
In the end, try to ask yourself if the job is really worth feeling bad and negativo all the time. What are the main valores this job holds that keep you there?
Are they more important than your inner peace and your health? Most problems can be solved by taking the actions listed in this article. But if you find yourself stuck and stressed after trying out every possible solution, then you know what you need to do. Your gut feeling does not lie to you when you feel bad about something constantly.
No job is worth your health and happiness. If you feel like there is nothing else that can be done, it is time to start applying for other job opportunities. Finding a new job will offer new beginnings and you may come across people that truly understand you and have similar work ethics.
Good luck!
Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ever since I was a little girl, my imagination knew no bounds. I remember vividly how I’d scribble down short stories, each page bursting with adventures and characters conjured up from the whimsy of my mind. These stories weren’t just for me; they were my way of connecting with my friends, offering them a slice of my fantasy world during our playtimes. The joy and excitement on their faces as we dived into my fictional realms motivated me to keep writing. This early passion for storytelling naturally evolved into my pursuit of writing, turning a childhood hobby into a fulfilling career.