7 Ways to Feel Content when Ending the Workday

 Reaching a state of contentment doesn’t come in a big, momentous wave of happiness but is a matter of making small adjustments in your life that help you feel better at the end of each day. Don’t settle for feeling physically and mentally beaten down at the close of your work day. Commit to making a list of minor changes in your life to help you feel better about yourself when the work day is done:

• Try to keep the number of unnecessary hands and eyes vying for some control over the direction of your work to a minimum. Work to have as much control over your personal work responsibilities as possible by consulting outside parties only when you feel it would be beneficial. Your job is your job and you don’t need a popular consensus to guide you to successful results.

• Create tangible goals during the day by making short-term deadlines that ensure that you will be under regular pressure to complete your daily responsibilities. You’ll feel much better about yourself at the end of the day when you are looking back at a list of accomplishments instead of hours spent website hopping.

• Create a list of your weekly achievements and keep it nearby so you can peek at it when that inevitable negativity rears its head. Meeting a set of deadlines and having good results to show for your efforts is an accomplishment worth some self-praise and celebration.

• Take some time to put aside your work schedule and spend a few minutes to have an uninterrupted and meaningful conversation with someone who matters to you. Having an open and quality rapport with those around you creates an atmosphere of easy collaboration, conflict resolutions, and productivity.

• Volunteer your efforts to help someone in need in the workplace. If you notice a colleague is having a particularly difficult time accomplishing a task, assist him or her as much as is reasonably possible. You can assist in any number of ways, such as helping to trim down an overwhelming workload, teach the use of a new technology, or perform a small errand that wouldn’t otherwise be accomplished.

• We each have our own natural physical rhythms that our bodies experience on a daily basis. Our energy fluxes throughout the work day leaving us sometimes feeling in need of a jolt. A great way to combat this feeling is to take a short break and walk around your building. Not only will it get your heart pumping and fill your lungs with fresh air but will also help to remind you that there is more to life than your cubicle.

• Hold fast to your principles and values. Don’t ever let anyone talk you into performing an action that you think is morally wrong. Stand up for your convictions and tell the person who asked that you do not feel comfortable with the request as it seems unethical.