Feeling rubbish at work- what little things do you do to get you through the day?

[dimpleSimple]

I'm feeling really rubbish about work which is a bit sad as I really liked it before and unfortunately there's not much I can do about the situation.

However, I feel I can make some little changes which might help me get through the day. I have bought a plant and some little bits from home to make my desk a bit more homely and personal. I have a little drawing which my dd did for me which always makes me smile.

I'm sure there's other things that I can add. What are your little things that you do to help you through the day?

Sorry to hear this.

Nice stationary, nice packed lunches, tea/coffee cup.

Plan nice, small things for before or after work, eg once a week.

If you have a nice work colleague or a few, lunch or short walk together.

Fun book, audiobook or podcast for the journey to work, or music.

can you listen to music, via your headphones?
leave the room regularly?

How about a really lovely cup to drink your tea/coffee out of, looking forward to lunch (meeting someone outside or bringing something in that you love to eat), only wearing clothes that you feel really good in.

Hopefully your situation improves soon enough!

Find another job!

Whilst I am sure the OP has thought of this, it’s not always possible and certainly not straightaway.

I think what you’re doing @dimpleSimpleis really positive, trying to make it more bearable. Like others have said, a nice lunch is a good idea. Can you buy any new clothes to make yourself feel good, I find if I look good it improves my mood.

can you make the place smell nice?

I absolutely love stationery but wouldn't dare to bring to work as it most likely would get pinched! Not in a nasty way but we just have so many people coming in and out it would just get picked up.

I don't have a mug as just use random ones from kitchen so have put this on my list.
Thank you!

Can't listen to music / podcasts but yes I think I can do a short 5m walk for a break and I can get my steps in too!

I have just bought a few things for summer with the weather being so lovely recently. The stuff just arrived this week and now the weather is rubbish! 😂

I message a good pot of tea in the morning at home and decant into a travel mug and thermos. It's so tasty and miles better than tea out. I've just bought one of those ninjas and am going to take in a daily smoothie. I listen to things that make me laugh on the way home.

I don't want to find another job as it's extremely flexible and I get along with the team really well. I am so fortunate to be working here. I have only been here 3 years and used to love it. Still do but my morale has taken a nose dive..

The issue I have is a bit complicated and unfortunately most likely won't go away so I want to just learn to cope with it even though I am struggling at times about the situation.

Do you have any recommendations for any leak proof mugs?

When I was in a job I hated I made sure I used my lunch break to go for as long a walk as possible in the time I had. And I always took my lunch as late as possible as it gave me something to look forward to for longer in the morning and felt better mentally to have less time to get through after it until the end of the day.

I'm ok at the moment but I have gone through these periods before.

I make sure I have an audio book on the go as I find these very soothing, and every time I have a short break even if just to go to the loo or make a drink I pop my headphones on and listen for a few minutes. Takes me out of the day and feels like a bit of leisure time.

During a bad patch last year I found a local library and spent lunch breaks there. I work in the city and this was totally unexpected but I find libraries relaxing so I was so happy to find it.

I just went for whichever "Thermos" brand was cheapest on Amazon. I pack them upright in my backpack. The travel mug is the most vulnerable, I assume, so I place the handle such that the backpack's zipper is either side of the handle, to keep it upright. They're a 2 or 3 years old, still good.

Is your manager supportive? You could try having a quick chat with him or her, and see if they can help you on any issues you’re having

Other than that, no, sorry. You can have all the nice mugs and plants, but if you’re unhappy in your job, it only chips away at you and gets worse and worse, making you more and more unhappy.

Take decent coffee and lunch with you. Nothing so depressing as bad coffee and a soggy plastic triangle sandwich.

And get some fresh air. A quick amble round the block at lunchtime will make you feel physically better and blow away the cobwebs.

Beautiful cup and good fresh coffee bags, good quality tea and fruit tea bags.

Break work down into small tasks and give yourself a big mental pat on the back for each one you complete.

Get out at lunch time if you can and have a walk. Good destressor.

In tough jobs I used to tell myself: that hour paid for DC's healthy dinner, that hour paid for their swimming subs etc. Reminding myself that each hour I worked enhanced DC's lives was a massive motivator.

If the situation is due to a difficult person, a friend told me a trick of putting small solid barriers between you and them. Could be a potted plant or a pretty paperweight or pot of pens. Think of it as an energy shield.

Finally, a trick that works is: behave as if this is the best job in the world and do your best at it. Come in with a really proactive attitude. That way you might get promoted or a good reference when you leave or at least it will feel less like drudgery.

Try to take in something nice for lunch so you've got something to look forward to during the morning. Also get organised with a nice drink for mid afternoon, a bottle of bubble tea or a tin of iced coffee maybe, that will break the afternoon up a bit.
Wear your favourite perfume, as that will lift your spirits.
Being unhappy at work is so depressing, so try anything that might help.

I've got a little infuser teapot for loose leaf tea. My morale and well being has taken a nosedive and it's not going to get better either.

It's easy for others to say get a different job but I like the hours and work pattern, the easy 10 minute commute and a free city centre car park. With the job I do going elsewhere would be the classic out of the frying pan into the fire/the grass is never greener on the other side scenarios.

Buy yourself some nice pens, highlighters and whatnot, and a pencil case. Keep it all in there. People are less likely to rummage in someone's pencil case than they are to swipe a pen off your desk. I was self-employed freelance for a long time and from necessity, would carry all sorts of random stationery items with me between clients. I still do it, even though I've been in my current job nearly 10 years.

Keep some hand cream at work too, a lavender-scented one would be nice. Put some on the back of your hands if you feel a bit stressed out. Lavender is soothing and calming.

Look for something good about every person you work with and every thing you have to deal with.

I was reminded of a tough phase I went through when I found an old prayer diary & I was praying I wouldn’t get hit at work (I support young people with behaviours that harm). When I think back to the young person that prayer referred to, I remember that he was really interested in aeroplanes & you could have an interesting conversation with him about places he’d like to fly to.

A colleague can be a wind up merchant & sometimes it takes me a while to cotton on to the fact that this is his intent. On the plus side, he can be very funny & is always up for a laugh about the idiosyncrasies of our job.

Remind yourself of things you do well, even if no one else is currently acknowledging them. Mine were: medication audits & keeping the kitchen cupboards tidy. Plus I’m always on time.

It sounds as if we work in very different sectors, OP, but I hope these examples are transferable. I’m now in a much happier phase at work, which leads me onto the point that your current situation at work may come to an end sooner than you think.