A guest post I did for Dumb Little Man is now live. If you are interested in relaxing at work then go check it out here and see what you think.
Originally posted on June 9, 2008 @ 11:45 pm
Ever Had a Meltdown at Work?
I saw this video on YouTube and I thought I would share it with you all. I have had a few days like this.
Have you ever had a day where you just melted down and yelled at everyone around you? I’m sure most of us have.
Originally posted on June 8, 2008 @ 8:19 am
Office Arguments: Is Your Viewpoint Making Things Worse?
photo credit: philippe leroyer
After a few token pleasantries my friends start complaining about office arguments and work politics every single time I see them. The funny things is, I often think that their inability to let go of their viewpoint is just making things worse.
I have thought about this a lot lately because it seems to me that almost everyone is having arguments and disagreements at work. My mother hates the firm’s accountant. My father disagrees with his partner. My brother isn’t getting paid enough.
The thing that interests me the most is that no one is trying to develop any strategies to deal with these issues in the long term. I am guilty of it as much as anyone. I often find myself stooping to the level of talking behind people’s back and gossiping instead of doing something useful with the situation.
I have wanted to write about this issue for a long time so in this post I want to look at:
- how to tell if your viewpoint is making things worse
- how to let go of an opinion you have held for a long time
- some viewpoints that always seem to make it worse
How to tell if your viewpoint is making things worse
When we get in an argument at work the first thing we always think is that we are right and the other person is wrong. We hold on to our views so tightly and do not want to let them go.
But why? What does this accomplish? Surely we have those views in the first place because we feel that they are correct and true and just and are going to make us happy. But if the office argument is getting worse because we will not let go of our dogma then maybe they are not as effective as we first thought.
Letting go
One way to tell whether your viewpoint is making matters worse is to look at your mind and see if you are able to “let go” easily. If you carry around the anger and the resentment all day and then further on into the week then chances are your view is making things worse and needs to be reassessed.
Length of the argument
Another way to tell whether your opinions and views are making things worse is to be aware of how long the argument lasts. If you are able to talk to the person about the issue and make some progress then perhaps your view is logical and valid. However, if the argument lasts for many days then something is wrong.
How to let go of a view you have had for a long time
Here is the problematic issue – what if your view is “correct” and the other person just doesn’t want to admit it? What if there are cultural issues that prevent you or the other person from seeing things in a different light? This makes things more tricky. However, it is important to try and be as open as possible. Be open to the fact that even though something might be true to you it might not be true for someone else.
If you are really struggling to let go of your view and really want to fight for it there is one simple test that you can apply – is it hurting anyone. This is the one thing that you can fall back on when debating whether your view is correct or not. If it is hurting people in the short term or long term then it is time to let go.
Letting go of long held views is not an easy thing. Some people hold on to their opinions as much as a murderer holds on to the story that he is innocent. It seems that we place some of our selves in our opinions and we think that if we lose them we will lose a part of us.
But where are these opinions? Where do they exist? Have we formulated them based on logic or emotion or because that’s what our parents thought? Do they live in our brains or in our hearts or somewhere else? When we die where do they go? Do they have a shape or a color? When I look at my opinions and viewpoints in this way (when I am really angry) I realize that they don’t really exist as solidly as I would like and it gives me some space to consider the other persons standpoint.
Changing your perspective
photo credit: OrangeLimey
Letting go of viewpoints that you have had for a long time is mostly about shifting your perspective and trying to see things from another point of view. In some cases this will be the hardest thing in the world to do, especially when you are charged up on emotion and angry because of what the other person has said or done. But if you can shift your perspective in this situation it will be quite easy when you try to do it when you are calm.
One of the simplest and best ways to shift your perspective is to just place yourself in the other person’s shoes. How are they feeling? Why are they feeling that way? Are they perhaps unwell? Even go far back and think about how they were brought up, where they went to school and what they have had happen to them in their life. Doing this is a great way to shift your perspective and open yourself up to the possibility that your viewpoint isn’t the only one.
Some viewpoints that always seem to make things worse
Here are a few things I have done, seen done or heard about that always seem to make things worse.
- They are just wrong and I am completely right
- They have no idea what they are talking about
- I am right because I have more experience/qualifications
- I’ll get back at him/her one day
- I’ll make his/her life miserable by…
- I’ll show them how much they’ve hurt me by being angry whenever they’re around
- I’ll tell everyone how horrible he/she is
- Etc.
How often does your viewpoint make arguments worse? Are you prepared to let go to help the situation?
Originally posted on June 6, 2008 @ 5:50 am
Five Signs That Your Computer Use is Affecting Your Health
We all spend way too much time on our computers. Our bodies are suffering. In this post I want to tell you about a few signs that can pop up to alert you that your computer use is affecting your health.
1. Sore wrists
If you have sore wrists it can be a sign that you have a nice case of carpal tunnel or RSI coming on. Sore wrists are extremely common but can be quite serious as many computer related wrist injuries can take years to heal, if at all.
If you are getting sore wrists you need to stop working every 10 minutes and shake them around, tense your fingers and give them a break. It is very important.
2. Sore back
The most common complaint that computer users get is that their back is always sore. This can be caused by bad posture, poorly set up desk height or the wrong type of chair. Take a look at this post on sore backs at work for some simple ways to fix the problem.
3. Sore eyes
Sore eyes come about for a few reasons. The most common one is that you are staring at the screen far too much and your eye balls are drying out and losing the essential moisture. This can cause damage over time. The other cause is having your computer screen light incorrectly. For example, you do not want to have sunlight shining directly on to the screen.
If you are getting sore eyes try to re-asses where your desk is placed and take regular breaks to give your eyes a rest. Try looking at some big views or some duller colors for a short time. [Read more…] about Five Signs That Your Computer Use is Affecting Your Health
Originally posted on June 5, 2008 @ 4:34 am
Work Causes Depression Says Study: What Do You Think?
Today I was watching the news and they had a story about a recent study that has shown that about one in six Australian’s can attribute their depression to their work. You can read the news article here.
I found this pretty interesting. I have never really considered that work would cause people to spiral into clinical depression. But I could be wrong.
I would love to hear what your opinions on this study are. Have you ever been seriously depressed because of work? Or has work magnified something that was already there?
What do you think?
top image: photo credit: azharc
Originally posted on June 2, 2008 @ 7:35 am
35 Easy Ways to Improve Your Work Day
Here are 35 random things you can do to improve your work day. Some of them are short term solutions for entertainment while others are about creating a deeper sense of satisfaction.
35 Easy Ways to improve your day at work
- Smile: Smiling makes you feel better as it releases endorphines and triggers happy thoughts in the brain. It also makes others more likely to smile back
- Eat fruit: Fruit is what mankind was supposed to eat. Full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it is a sure-fire way to make you feel better
- Drink green tea: Last week we had a look at the benefits of tea. Feeling happier is one of them
- Talk to a friend: Go and see someone in the building that you like to talk to. Conversation is one of the best ways to pick yourself up
- Get fresh air: Sometimes being indoors all day can be pretty depressing. Go outside and breathe some deep breaths of fresh air. If you work in the inner city try and go up to the roof as the air is better there.
- Get sunlight: Sunlight is one of the best ways to beat depression. The vitamin D that is produced when we get some sun is a natural anti-depressant. Get some sun.
- Leave the computer: The PC will be fine without you for a few hours. Turn it off and do some paper work or something a bit different. I sometimes think that the computer with all its electricity and heat is not good for the body. Get off it for a while and see how you feel.
- Run the stairs: Something I used to do at University when I was feeling a bit sleepy was go outside and run up the four flights of stairs. It gets the heart racing and the blood pumping and makes you feel a bit more alive.
- Watch Borat: Sometimes when work is a bit boring I go over and watch 10 minutes of Borat clips on Youtube. Nothing too deep but it always makes me smile.
- Talk in Borat’s voice: That always makes other people smile! “Sexy time!”.
- Meditate on the breath: Breathing meditation is incredibly relaxing. This is often all I need to make my work day better. I talk a lot about this in my free eBook Enlightening Stress Relief.
- Get a fresh juice: Take a look at the benefits of freshly squeezed juice. Take note of what someone says in the comments – this stuff makes you feel awesome!
- Lift weights at lunch: Lots of executives go to the gym in their lunch break. This is a great way to improve your day as it gives you something to look forward to as well as all the usual health benefits of working out.
- Exercise before work: A great way to pick yourself up for the whole day is to exercise before work. This gets your body and mind fresh and in a state ready to tackle the day.
- Get a motivational daily calendar: I got given this book for Christmas. It has amazing photos of buddhist temples and Tibetan landscapes and each day has a new quote. This is the best one I have seen on the market and it is a great addition to your workdesk. Read a quote at the start of the day and try to implement it into your work life.
- Do something for someone else: Sometimes doing something kind for someone completely out of the blue is a good way to make yourself feel better. I know it might sound a little selfish but at least you are doing something helpful. Why not?
- Make friends with someone you don’t like: It always feels good to make up with someone you have had a fight with or make friends with someone you don’t like. Give it a go. It will be one less stress on your shoulder.
- Try some organic coffee: Try replacing your regular brew with some organic fair-trade coffee. It tastes better and is good for the struggling people in Africa.
- Bring your Ug Boots: I know someone who brings their Ug Boots to work and leaves them under her desk and then when she gets to work she changes her heels for the warm sheepskin comfort! A little thing like that can make some people’s day a lot better.
- Delete all your emails: Something I try to do every few days is delete everything in my inbox. For some reason this makes me feel a lot less stressed.
- Reply to all your emails: Before you can delete them, however, you need to reply to them all. Set aside 30 minutes or however long it might take to reply to everyone and then delete them. See if you feel less weighed down.
- Clean your desk: A clean workspace is a much happier workspace. Try cleaning up some of your clutter and see if you feel a little less cramped in. It always works for me.
- Buy some flowers: The Buddhist masters always say that flowers in a room makes your mind feel light. My mother always puts fresh flowers around the house and it does make the area feel more friendly and warm. Try it on your desk.
- Watch Buddhist masters on Youtube: I like to watch videos of great Buddhist teachers on Youtube when I feel in need of a bit of inspiration.
- Stop thinking so much: Westerners think to much. That is what the monks in India tell me. You will be a lot happier and more content if you stop thinking about everything so much.
- Meditate on compasson: The Dalai Lama always says that if you want others to be happy, practice compassion. But, if YOU want to be happy, practice compassion. You can learn how to meditate on compassion in my free ebook which you can download here.
- Download FireFox Plugins: If you are still using Internet Explorer to browse the web you are way out of touch! Check out FireFox as it has so many plugins and addons that you can download to make your work day more efficient. There is a list of good ones here.
- Cut out foods that make you depressed: Take a look at some foods that make you depressed and try cutting them out of your diet while you are at work. It might be a good way to lift the mood of your day.
- Work harder: Sometimes I find that when I procrastinate I get a little down because I feel like I have not achieved anything important during the day. If I work harder I challenge myself and can go home knowing I’ve really done the best that I can.
- Discover Ask a Ninja: Need I say more. Ask a Ninja.
- Eat lunch with friends: Quite often at work everyone takes their lunch break at different times. However, if you can organize to have it at the same time with your friends and all go out for lunch it can be a great mood booster. I know someone who meets five other people from different firms around the city at China Town everyday for lunch. They all look forward to it and they all love it.
- Meet your spouse for lunch: It is always really nice when the two of you make time to meet each other. Suprising the other person is also a really nice way to cheer them up on a crappy work day.
- Open the window: Fresh air and some new noises always makes you feel less cooped up and can wake you up a little bit too. Get rid of the carbon dioxide and get some fresh oxygen.
- Forget Facebook: I do not really like Facebook. I think people spend far too much time on their looking at things that they don’t need to know. I also think it creates a lot of anxiety in people. If you cannot function unless you look at Facebook every two minutes then I think you have Facebook Syndrome.
- Add to this list: Of course!
Got any more to add?
Originally posted on May 30, 2008 @ 1:51 am
