Toxic Thoughts at Work – Banish Them Before They Ruin Your Career!
We are what we think. Our mind plays a very big role in how we live our daily lives. It has been rightly said, ‘we are a product of our thoughts’.
We are what we think. Our mind plays a very big role in how we live our daily lives. It has been rightly said, ‘we are a product of our thoughts’. As individuals, we constantly gauge the situation and people around us and our perception what is happening around us is greatly influenced by our thinking and our thinking in turn influences our behaviour. Our behaviour to quite an extend will determine our social interaction and what others think of us, making it immensely necessary for us to have a positive outlook, not only for the sake of our own mental health but also to be accepted into social groups. After all, no one wants a wet blanket around.
The dynamic world we live in today constantly keeps our minds in the overdrive, making us overthink and overanalyse all that’s happening around us. There are times when negative thoughts can get the better of us and we tend to misread the situations and the people around and jump to conclusions. This can prove to be very detrimental, especially in a work environment.
Here are a few negative thoughts that should be avoided in the work place. And when you see them creeping into your mind, make sure to nip them in the bud.
‘I never get what I deserve’
You have probably worked in the organisation for years and you have probably burnt the midnight oil to achieve your targets and yet the promotion and the bonus you were expecting have not come your way. You start to dwell on it day and night. The resentment grows daily. It shows in the way you carry yourself and in the way you would interact with your colleagues and boss. This is where all the hard work you have put in is undone. Best remedy, continue doing your job and do it well.
‘They don’t like me and I don’t trust them’
Lack of trust in people around you is not healthy. Thinking that your colleagues are out to get you will only harm your performance. We have to accept that there is stiff competition in the workplace nowadays but only way to counter is to work hard and have a positive attitude. This will help build a congenial work environment.
Imagining that your boss and your peers are thinking the worst of you isn’t going to help you in any way. If your boss didn’t respond to your hello or hasn’t replied to your email doesn’t mean that you are in trouble. Rationalise with yourself, there might be reasons for ‘no reply’. If a colleague has being aloof and unresponsive, maybe he is having a bad day himself. No point worrying yourself to death. Overanalysing will not get you anywhere.
‘I can’t complete my tasks’
Sometimes the workload can be overwhelmingly huge. If you look at the tasks to be done in totality, it can be very unnerving and can bring down your morale.
Thinking of the repercussions of not being able to do your job well can further bring down your self-confidence. This originates from the fear of failure or judgement. Replace the ‘I can’t’ with ‘I will’, this change in the thought itself will put you in a positive frame of mind. The next step is to breakdown your work into small doable chunks and work on one chunk at a time. Not only is it a systematic way to work but also seeing your work getting completed steady will keep you positive and motivated.
‘I goofed up and I am sure to get fired’
No one’s perfect and we all make mistakes at work. It’s not the end of the world. Until an error has a big impact on business, there aren’t any repercussions to fear. Dwelling about it is where the trouble starts. We end up raising our stress levels and probably end up having an anxiety attack.
The constant fear people live in these days of losing their jobs has started playing havoc with their mental and physical health. High stress and anxiety have a snow ball effect and take mammoth proportions in our minds if we indulge in them and they make uslose sight of the tasks at hand.It becomes all the more necessary to keep them in check.We have to realise that what is done cannot be undone. But you can take ownership and apologise. It’s very difficult to push the negativity completely out our minds but we can make a conscious effort to replace them with positive thoughts and remind ourselves ‘this too shall pass’.
‘My colleagues are far better than me’
It’s necessary to keep focus here, remind yourself that you were hired for the skills you possess and you retain your job because you are meeting the requirements of the jobs and delivering what is being expected of you.
People suffer from imposter syndrome at times. The fear to fall short of the expectations and failing and being seen as a fraud is a tendency observed in working professionals; and predominantly in working women. Also seeing your colleague’s success as a threat to your own progress and growth can sap your energy and enthusiasm towards your own work.
It’s very easy to get swept away with negative thoughts and they have a tendency to spiral out of control in our minds.
Remember you cannot control situations and the people around, what you can actually do is just stay positive.
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