How to Hide a Bad Day at Work - The Muse

How to Hide a Bad Day at Work - The MuseHow to Hide a Bad Day at Work You spilled your coffee, got stuck in traffic, and put a snag in your favorite sweater. By the time you sit down at your desk, youre already in a pretty foul mood. So, when your manager stops by to ask you to make some major changes to that report you spent hours working on, you finally tip over that ledge and spiral into a full-blown emotional funk. Your jaw is clenched, your fists are balled up, and you have a scowl permanently parked on your face.Whats the badeanstalt part about this (other than the fact that youre having a plain ol crappy time)? Well, a toxic attitude can spread faster than that juicy office gossip about Susans long, closed-door meeting with her boss. Yes, bad days are contagious- particularly in a working environment. And, if you dont nip your infectious mood in the bud, itll be that much harder for you to snap out of it when everyone else around you is feeling grumpy.You need to get your atti tude in check- and fast. Heres how1. Avoid VentingIts human nature- when youre having a terrible time in the office, youre eager to air your grievances to the first person who will listen. You want to grab your closest co-worker and take a quick break by for a little whisper session about how awful things are going.This might be comforting to you, but its bound to spread some negativity throughout your office. Before you know it, that close colleague of yours is just as irritated or worked up as you- and the domino effect continues.While there are some productive ways to vent in the office every now and then, sometimes its better to shut your mouth and keep those complaints to your self. As Muse Senior Editor, Stacey Lastoe says in her piece on keeping a grumpy demeanor under wraps, The key to keeping your unpleasant mood in check during the workday is to say as little as possible. By staying quiet, you avoid the risk of opening your mouth and saying the first snarky thing that come s to mind.If you absolutely need to get something off your chest? Consider cranking out an email that contains all of your thoughts and frustrations- but never actually hit send. That way, you can get all of that negativity out of your own brain (meaning you can take a deep breath and move on), without running the risk of spreading those bad vibes around your office.2. Take a BreakThe downward spiral of negativity moves quickly. A bad meeting turns into a bad morning, which turns into a bad day- which can easily turn into an entire bad week (should I keep going?). Sometimes, you need to do something to throw a wrench into this cycle and nip your cranky attitude in the bud so that you can come back to the office feeling like the positive and eager professional that you are (rather than dragging both yourself and your co-workers down). One of the best ways to do just that is to get up and take a break. Go outside and take a walk, run an errand, or head out for a quick cup of coffee. D o anything that will get you away from your desk and give you a chance to press the reset button.Research shows that attempting to continue to stay focused on the task at hand will only lead to increased fatigue and an even worse mood- and that wont do anybody any favors (including you). So, stand up and give yourself a pause to get your attitude adjusted. In the end, thats much better than trying to power through.3. Perform a Random Act of KindnessNo matter how bad things are going, you know that you dont want your crabby mood to negatively impact everybody else you work with. And, one of the very best ways to give the vibe around the office a boost (and your own outlook in the process) is to perform a random act of kindness. In fact, research shows that these small niceties actually raise your dopamine levels- making you feel way better in the process.Leave a pack of candy from the vending machine on your colleagues desk, or spielblttchen up some coffee for the rest of your team. Or, take on the dirty work and clean out the breakroom microwave for everybody.Doing something nice and unexpected will flip the script on your sour attitude and spread some enthusiasm and positivity around the office. Plus, itll not only put a smile on your co-workers faces, but likely on yours, too.4. Fake it Til You Make itYouve probably heard this expression before, and it still rings true. Dont let your bad mood rule your entire day and your interactions in the office. Instead, put on your most convincing happy face and push through.Is appearing upbeat and excited easy when youre feeling down? Definitely not. But, its still better than sending the outlook of your entire office (and your reputation) into a nosedive with one snide comment or pesky complaint. Even better? Science says that smiling (even when you dont feel like it) can actually help to improve your mood. So, it might be just what you need to turn that awful day of yours around. Bad days come after the best of us. A nd, while having one every now and then is totally normal, its better for you and everybody else if you dont let it spread like wildfire among your colleagues. Because at the end of this no-good, rotten day, thatll only make you feel worse.