How to Stay Positive in a Negative Environment
A negative work environment can wear you down and stress you out. However, some people manage to sail right through negativity and keep their smiles intact. You can learn from those who have found ways to cope with negative bosses, whining employees or a demoralized workforce. Just taking charge of your attitude is a good first step. Follow that up with some techniques that can help you cope and even change negativity in the workplace.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Stop contributing to the negativity. Observe yourself and discern whether you are going along with negative comments or actions just to fit in. You can decide not to participate in negativity without making a big announcement. Just quietly resolve not to be part of the problem.
-
2
Watch for negativity triggers. Become aware when you start feeling stressed or disheartened, and identify what happened to make you feel that way. By being on your guard against negativity triggers, you can start anticipating when and where they are most likely to occur. You may be able to start avoiding the situations that affect you negatively.
-
-
3
Talk about your own reactions, not other people's. When you hear negative comments, say something like, "I can't handle that thought right now." Making the comment about you prevents any accusation on your part. Accusations against others will only make them angry and fuel the negativity. Just make it clear that you are not looking for negative input because you don't operate that way.
-
4
Offer praise and support. Positive comments will make you a role model for your coworkers. You can always find something someone did well, or you can compliment their appearance. Positive comments can go a long way toward changing a negative work environment, and it can put everyone on notice that you have a positive outlook.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/15/Face-smile-big.svg/300px-Face-smile-big.svg.png&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_talk:Face-s
