29 Mar 2019
How to Eliminate Frustrations at the Workplace
Disagreements in the workplace are a dime a dozen, but how you come away from them makes all the difference. In this tutorial post, we’re going to step into a new space to explore what lies beyond the technical aspects of the designing and developing life. Stress can wreak havoc on our health and our bodies react to it with physical and mental symptoms such as headaches, an upset stomache, elevated blood pressure and more. We’ll look at how we can make the best of ourselves in difficult situations, and how a little self-care in the workplace can get you living your best life every day.
Whether it’s a remote or concrete office, we’re present at the workplace, more than anywhere else on a normal week. At some point, we all eventually hit a wall or feel put down either from interpersonal conflicts or because of our own shortfalls. Here are a couple useful and easy things to think about before you consider calling it quits or deeming a situation too impossible to fix.
1. Cool Down
Take some time to cool off from whatever is irritating or frustrating you. In order for you to get to the root issue, stepping away from the point of anger is a key habit of emotionally intelligent people. Take a break from work to treat your mind and body right. Get some fresh air, get a good night’s rest, eat right, and de-stress yourself before taking the next step.
2. Evaluate What Is Triggering You
After you’ve taken a couple days to cool down, now you can analyze and unpack your issue in a clearer and logical way. You could also speak to a non-biased person who would be able to understand both sides of the situation and help you examine why something happened, even if you are partly to blame. Inadvertently you will be able to vent and let out the more baseless complaints, while honing in on the crux of the issue.
3. Write It Down
Whether you like journaling or simply tapping it out on your notes app, writing down your concerns and the key points of your analysis will help decrease your stress and improve your cognitive function. Journaling works as a form of therapy, allowing you to organize your thoughts, remember the important stuff, and map out your talking points. This is important and will keep you prepared for the next step.
4. Use Your Voice
You need to advocate for yourself but make sure you leave anger and aggression at the door. When people feel like they are being attacked, it causes them to be defensive, making it hard for them to understand where you are coming from, let alone open up to you. Use this time to voice your concerns in a calm, open, and focused way, sticking to the facts, and taking responsibility for any issues you may have also caused.
5. Work On It Together
No one is a mind reader. Clearly identify what your “ask” is, and how it is you can help yourself and your co-worker or boss navigate through this. Creating a pathway out of your negative situation and asking for help to do it is a constructive and collaborative way to helping both parties. Don’t forget to sandwich any opportunities you address with positive feedback. You can’t expect someone to feel positive about change if you’re only providing critique.
6. Challenge Yourself
We’re hoping the encounter with your colleague or boss was positive and you’ve found a solution to your workplace frustrations. However, even if it didn’t end up the way you imagined, don’t give yourself or others too hard of a time. If you carry workplace anxiety, there is a bright side to it as you can learn how to harness these feelings to focus. Remind yourself that whenever disagreements arise, you and your team still share one goal and that you are all trying to achieve the same thing – making the company better.
Final Thoughts
Finally, there’s a great article in The New York Times about how frustrating work environments can motivate us toward greater innovation and creativity. The too long; didn’t read version is that a dude named Brad Bird, had his first Pixar directorial debut called “Iron Giant”, and it was a massive flop. After this disappointment, he pitched his next movie, requiring about 10 years to create and costing $500 million. He was told it would never work, so he slashed the budget and time required and ended up creating the Oscar-winning and mega-blockbuster hit, “The Incredibles”.
This just goes to show that even the most frustrated and dissatisfied of us all can move beyond giving up or getting angry. They can innovate and rise to the most difficult challenges, working toward solutions and helping a team achieve a goal. They just may need the support and push to do so.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this motivational tutorial that’s a little different from our usual foundational tutorials. Let us know below if you’ve found this helpful, and if we should create more content like this. Happy trails!