5 Powerful Tips to Amplify Your Happiness at Work

Do you feel a decline in your happiness while you work these days? You’re not alone.

As the pandemic continues to reshape our everyday lives, work burnout is as rampant as ever. It doesn’t matter if you’re still working from home or you’re back in the office – we are all feeling the workplace fatigue with much more intensity. What’s worse is we often mistake overworking as an achievement, therefore misidentifying it as happiness.

The truth is, you can take that overtime every single day and you’d still feel this hollowing void inside. You’d wonder, “I did more than what I was supposed to do today, why don’t I feel satisfied?” This is because you are equating happiness with exhaustion. You think that the busier you get, the higher the satisfaction is. 

It’s time to change this mindset.

Now that there is no more chitchatting in the cafeteria or going on happy hours with our favorite coworkers, it’s easy to fall into the rut of the work work work mentality. The little corners of our rooms have become our makeshift workspaces. It’s just you and your laptop. No officemate to rant to or laugh with. No fun lunch breaks. No random small talks by the water dispenser. So you might as well just do more work, right?

When you feel like you’re pushing yourself a little too hard, it’s time to take a break. Reclaim that sense of happiness while you work. Listen to what your body and your inner voice tell you. Then, change your work routine if you must. 

Below are some powerful tips that will surely help you get right back on track:

Help other people.

You might find it contradicting how you’re asked to take a break and offer help to your coworkers at the same time. When we say help other people, we don’t mean spread yourself too thinly. We don’t mean let them walk all over you. It only means that you should see to it that you are available to help out once in a while. This could be as simple as sending some notes to your new intern or helping your manager create a better process. You have to be present when the team is trying to solve a problem. 

As you do this, you will realize how amazing it feels to be able to come up with a solution to a challenge in your workplace. Your coworkers will feel grateful towards you, and you will feel a sense of pride for being able to help. This is what real workplace happiness looks like – having the opportunity to grow your relationships with the people around you. This is especially true for those working in the customer service industry. Doesn’t it feel great when customers genuinely thank you for helping them out?

Know your strengths, then use them.

Although your work may require you to wear many hats, it’s important that your true self still shines above it all. Maximizing your productivity means that you know your strengths and your weaknesses. It means you know which tasks align with your skills and which ones would take you a longer time to finish. It is incredibly essential that you assess yourself before saying yes to a task so that you can gauge its success. Forcing yourself to do things that you are not well-equipped for will lead you to quicker work burnout.

There is nothing wrong with having a niche. It’s better to focus on your strengths and use them in a field, system, or process that you’re really good at instead of playing the jack of all trades and ending up being literally all over the place.

Another thing about workplace strengths is that it is not enough that you know them. You have to hone them too. You have to challenge yourself and improve these skills as time goes by. Letting your strengths be stagnant and rusty is a form of betrayal to yourself.

Make nature a part of your daily routine.

It can’t be stressed enough: nature heals. When a workday has become too much to handle, it’s a great idea to step outside and take a short walk. Reconnecting with nature is an effective way to destress the mind and the body. If you really want to amplify your happiness while you work, you have to prioritize your emotional well-being above all. You have to make sure that you are in the right mental state to tackle the day. And what better way to do it than to be in the presence of nature’s calm?

Start your day right with a morning jog or by simply tending your small garden. Studies show that the more you involve yourself with nature, the clearer the mind becomes. There’s really peace in being one with Mother Earth so make sure that you make her a part of your everyday. If you want to upgrade your workspace, you can even decorate your desks with cute indoor plants that will surely uplift the mood of your room! 

Manifest the career direction that you dream of.

Motivation comes from inspiration. You need to have something to look forward to in order to be motivated for your everyday tasks. It is important that you have a vision bigger than the challenges that you face at work. 

Visualize your dream job. Are you in the right direction towards your dream job? Is your current career path leading you to it… or pulling you farther from it? As early as now, you have to create a clear picture in your mind of the career that you really want. Manifest your desires. Believe that your dream job is meant for you.

The key to keeping yourself on the right track is breaking down your big goals into smaller, more attainable steps. You can’t hurry the big things. Manifesting is not just believing that you can, but also showing the universe that you’re making an effort to achieve it. Map out a plan that will slowly but surely lead you to where you want to be. 

Also read: How To Manifest Money

Don’t forget to connect with your friends and colleagues.

In today’s world where social interaction is limited to none, it takes double the effort to maintain our relationships with our friends and coworkers. Gone are the days when we can just swing by their cubicle and ask them out to lunch. Now that pretty much everything is virtual, remember to check on your friends. Set up a scheduled video call with your favorite coworkers and just chitchat away (absolutely no work topics!). Share how you’ve been doing. Share your new hobbies. 

Another thing that most people do these days is virtual drinking. You can ask your friends to grab a glass or two of wine as you play online games or stream a movie together. Although hanging out now means drinking on your own behind the screen, it doesn’t mean you can’t share the fun! 

As you do this, you will realize how integral your work friends are to your happiness in the workplace.

On a final note…

As challenging as the present times are, there are still numerous ways to protect your happiness while you work. You just have to start from a place of acceptance that things might be a little different now, but it doesn’t mean that they are less fun. You just have to be creative! Know that your happiness and peace are all up to you.

Ultimately, it is important that you reject any form of negative energy within your workplace. Don’t engage with people who suck the life out of you. Office drama is so yesterday. Focus on your own career growth, and choose the people you want to be by your side as you make your way to success. Grow with them. Build with them. Succeed with them.

The Individualogist Team

The Individualogist Team is made up of archetype fanatics, individuation practitioners, and spirituality fans. Our humble group has banded together to deliver thought-provoking, life-changing, and growth-probing wisdom.