How to Stay Positive in a Negative Work Situation

You spend about a third of your life at work. If you're spending it with negative people, it can really affect you and bring you down. By stopping negative thoughts as they enter your ears and not letting them continue in your thoughts, you'll be doing a lot of the work to stay positive in a negative situation. Read on for some more ways to keep ugly situations at work from bogging you down.

Instructions

1 Have a life outside your job. Keep friends who have a good grasp of reality and with whom you can share life that's totally unrelated to the job you do. Refuse to even talk about your work outside work hours, especially if the environment is toxic.

2 Realize that most of what goes on at work and most of the negativity, even that directed at you, isn't about you. Consider the stress your coworkers are facing at work, at home and in their personal lives and understand that they're projecting and displacing their anger onto you and others around them as well.

 

3 Refuse to let your coworkers' workaholism, ambitions and selfish behaviors seep into your system. It's easy to start letting negative behavior creep in by agreeing with perspectives or taking sides. Instead, choose to rise above it all by remaining neutral.

4 Guard your thoughts; they eventually become your reality. Make sure the negativity around you doesn't keep playing in your head. Play music at your desk at a reasonable volume if you feel it helps center you. Take breaks to collect your thoughts. Keep positive reminders in quotes and pictures around your workspace.

5 Consider your options for finding other employment if the situation is unbearable. Some bosses can be emotionally abusive; if the company environment doesn't look likely to change, evaluate whether this is really the best place for you.

By an eHow.com Contributor