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How To Beat The Blues At Work

Glassdoor Team

Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 20 Jan 2020

After the excitement of Christmas, and the celebration of New Year, January can feel, well, a little flat. Blue Monday, named so because it’s thought to be the most depressing day of the year, occurs on the third Monday of January. For 2020, Blue Monday falls on Monday 20th January. If in January you find you’re not jumping out of bed in the morning, eager to get into the office. Or, if you haven’t got the motivation to start on what seems like a never-ending to-do list, you’re not alone. Here are five tips to keep your spirits up at work and keep the January blues away. Fuel your energy levels with a healthy, hearty breakfast Breakfast, the first meal of the day, is considered by many as the most important meal. Eating breakfast does more than providing you with the energy you need to wake up properly, it’s proven to improve your concentration and memory. In the rush to get out of the door in the morning, it can be tempting to skip breakfast entirely or to grab something on the go. But, with some thought and a little planning, you could start your day off on high spirits with these mood-boosting breakfasts:

A piece of fresh fruit, or a bowl of berries that are loaded with vitamin C and iron
Peanut butter and sliced banana on toasted wholemeal bread – packed with protein and healthy carbs
A hearty bowl of oats and low-fat yogurt

Plan ahead To prevent yourself from getting stressed because of your workload, set aside 10-15 minutes each Friday afternoon to review the week and to plan for the week ahead. List the things you’ve accomplished in the last five days and allow yourself to feel a sense of pride for completing these tasks. See what tasks are left uncompleted on your list and decide if these need to be pushed onto next week’s list. Look ahead to the week coming and block out 30 minutes to 1 hour each morning to tackle as many ‘five-minute quick jobs’ as you can within this time. You could spend this time; replying to emails, responding to meeting requests, following up on enquiries or tackling the filing pile. For each day, plan one big task that you want to complete. Prioritise this above everything else, and whatever time you have left to work on other things is a bonus. RELATED The Multi-Tasker's Guide To Staying Organised Spruce up your workspace The whole of January tends to feel ‘grey, damp and miserable’. So, bring energy to your workplace by:

Personalising your desk space with pictures of friends/family or images from your favourite holiday or retreat
Adding a pop of colour with funky wall-art or a snazzy cushion for your chair
Improving the air quality around your space with luscious and healthy plants. If you’re not green-fingered, opt for hearty types of plants like a cactus or a peace lily

If you don’t have the option of adding personal touches, bring ‘cheer’ to your space with bright and colourful stationary. Organise a work social It may not just be you who is feeling down. Your colleagues may be feeling the same as well. To lift the office’s spirits, consider organising a social event at work. Not only does it provide something for people to look forward to, it’s also an opportunity to reaffirm relationships, lift morale and welcome any new members of staff who may have recently joined the team. Bear in mind though that people may be short of cash after splurging in the lead up to Christmas. So, here are some ideas for a budget-conscious company get-together:

Company QI: Appoint a quizmaster, choose a letter from the alphabet and organise people into two/three teams. The quizmaster asks the teams questions based on the chosen letter
Office Olympics: Sprinting across the office or throwing a javelin may not be possible, but this doesn’t mean you can’t improvise; paper plane throwing, how many balls can you get in a bin, desk chair football are fun activities for the office
Midweek meal: If you want to escape the office, most restaurants offer discounts to attract people during the week

Step out of your comfort zone If boredom is the cause of your low mood, approach your manager to discuss the option of changing or adding to your list of responsibilities. Stretching your skills, challenging you to think differently and possibly even learn new skills. Discuss if you can assist on a new project, train colleagues or help with the launch of a new internal initiative. This benefits the company, as they can utilise your existing experience and knowledge instead of having to source external support. Plus, it benefits you as you’re given the opportunity to work with different departments, learn new processes and possibly skill-up on new technologies. If fear, or imposter syndrome is preventing you from stepping outside of your comfort zone, combat it by keeping a list of all your achievements you’ve achieved at work or positive feedback you’ve received from colleagues/peers. When you start to feel self-belief waning, look back at this list to give your confidence a boost. RELATED Imposter Syndrome: What Is It and How Can It Be Overcome If you’re hoping to increase your skillset, approach your manager or HR department to see if they will consider putting you on a training course. Or, if you prefer to organise it yourself, there are numerous online courses available. If after considering all these points, you feel a total change is necessary, check out which companies are currently hiring on Glassdoor.

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Glassdoor Team

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How To Beat The Blues At Work

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