with Britt Reints
Forget the 9 to 5; Full Time, All the Time is a blog about the mobile working life - when you have the freedom to work from anywhere and the responsibility of always having your smartphone turned on. Britt Reints works as a freelance writer while traveling fulltime in an RV with her husband and two kids. She explores balancing real-life bills with an unconventional work life, and finding time to maintain relationships with family and friends.
You can also find Britt at InPursuitOfHappiness.net.
|
I’m not sure if this is a phenomenon that is unique to women, or just me, but my mood definitely affects my work . If I’m sad or angry, I have a really hard time concentrating and creating at a top level. Of course, most of us don’t have the luxury of blowing deadlines or skipping work just because we’re in a bad mood. How can we suck it up – or improve our mood – long enough to get stuff done?
Blow off some steam. It’s never a good idea to stuff emotions before giving yourself a chance to feel them, even in the name of productivity. While you might not be able to run off to the therapist midday or have a full on crying jag in the office, you can find ways to open up the pressure valve for a temporary release. I like to turn up a Pink song; you might step outside for a minute to take a few punches at the air or scribble furiously in a journal.
Connect with someone who loves you. Research shows that connecting to other people makes us happier. Call your mom, your best friend, or whoever it is in your life that offers unconditional love and support. A quick “hey, tell me you love me,” can give you the boost you need to face the day.
Do a good deed. Doing nice things for other people has also been proven to improve happiness. Text something nice to your spouse, compliment a co-worker, or hop online and send a donation to your favorite charity. These little acts of kindness won’t take much time, but can make a big difference for you and the recipient.
Breathe. Once you’ve given yourself space to feel your bad mood, a mini-meditation session can help you flip the switch and get into work mode. Set a 10-minute timer on your phone and just breathe, or try listening to a short meditation podcast.
How do you turn things around when you don’t have time for a bad mood?
Taking a few minutes for myself and just being away from whatever is annoying at the moment is a big help, as is telling myself that I CAN change my mood. Counting my blessings and just smiling can help too.
Megan | February 11th, 2013 at 10:47 am
Haha! I totally do the “scribble in a journal” thing — the back of my notepad that I use for meeting notes, etc. is always filled with ranty scribbles.
also want to suggest calm.com for those 2- or 10-minute meditations. It’s awesome.
el-e-e | February 13th, 2013 at 9:06 am