5 Ways to be Happier in Your Job!

Feeling miserable in your job, or just fed up that the evenings are shorter? Want to change your job but feel like you don’t have a choice given the current economic climate? Read on for 5 simple, yet effective ways to increase your happiness levels at work.

1)     Environment. Have a look around you at work, is your desk a mess? Do you groan when you walk in and see your desk every morning? Are you overcome with calm as you notice this years holiday snaps on your partition? Or do you marvel at how your plant has blossomed overnight? It may sound over the top to you but your environment greatly effects how we feel and so how productive we are at work. Make this a positive space. You don’t have to have pictures of your partner all over the place or multiple cacti/ angels, just a few simple things that help you feel at home. Organise your mess as well so that you can easily find documents/ pens/ etc.

2)     Do you know what you want in a job? Take some time to sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and write a list of things that you love about your job (and any job that you’ve had in the past) and also what you don’t enjoy. Then think of ways to get more of the positive into your present job and less of what you don’t like. For example, if you love learning new things but feel like your job has become stagnant, then   you could approach your boss about taking a course to improve your skills, or training with another team member. Take the initiative, your boss will be impressed and you’ll be happier.

3)     Get a work/life balance – leave work on time and don’t take it home with you. It’s too easy to be always available, to have the phone on or worse still, if you have a blackberry or iphone, you’ve constant access to your email. Turn it off once you leave the office. Have clear boundaries between your work and home life.

4)     Take up a hobby / get fit.
It’s so important to have a way of de-stressing your mind and your body. Whether that’s something like yoga, knitting or more taxing like running or going to the gym, do something. It will relax your mind and your body and help you to sleep better.

5)     Eat properly.
Cut down on coffee and increase your water intake. When your body is under stress so too is your mind. Review your diet and try to eat three good meals a day. Reduce your intake of sugar and processed foods and eat 5 fruit and vegetables a day.

It’s the simple things that have the greatest effect, so give the above a try, I’d love to hear how you get on!

To your success!

Ellen Shilling BSc RMT ARCHTI

Blog: www.ellenshilling.com/Blog

Life & career coach, NLP Practitioner, TAT Professional

www.ellenshilling.com