How to recover from a bad workday

Everybody has a bad work day – it’s how you manage it that counts 

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Indeed

Experiencing negative emotions can sometimes be inevitable in the workplace, especially when you have specific goals and targets to meet. Knowing how to identify a bad day, and applying the right techniques to handling negative feelings, can increase your performance, help you stay productive and give you a sense of fulfilment in relation to your job. Here are some steps you can take to help you recover from a bad day at work.

Work out why you’re experiencing a bad day – knowing why you’re frustrated is the first step of recovering from a bad day. Begin by assessing how your day began and where you are now. List your activities and measure your performance at each to identify and determine the cause of your bad day.

Talk to someone reliable about your feelings – communicating your feelings can relieve you of negative emotions. Talk to a coach, psychologist, mentor, professional or therapist. If you have supportive and reliable friends, colleagues or family members, you can also communicate your feelings to them.

Set personal goals or aspirations – setting personal goals beyond your work goals can help you recover from a bad day at work. Personal goals can also be a source of motivation and can align with your work goals to keep you more productive. 

Write these goals down so you can easily visit them when having a bad day and, to stay more effective without being overwhelmed, you can set daily goals, weekly targets and monthly plans to keep you in check.

Engage in other activities – another way to recover from a bad day can be engaging in other activities that motivate and boost your energy. Engaging in activities you enjoy, like watching sports, listening to a podcast or spending time with your family, can put you in the right mindset for productivity.

Request a different task – Identifying the reason for a bad work day can help you avoid repeating the same mistakes. Request a different project that can challenge you to try out new things to help you channel your abilities, allow you to seek out opportunities to excel at work and build your confidence. If your organisation offers incentives to employees who meet their goals or company targets, this can be an excellent way to reinforce and motivate you to stay positive at work.

Request and accept feedback – Employing a feedback technique can help boost your morale and help you recover from a bad day. You can ask your colleagues or employer to give their candid opinion or suggestion on a task or project you did. When you receive constructive criticism, accept it and apply these criticisms to the next project.

Genuinely accept compliments and appreciation for a job well done as this can help to improve your self-esteem. Constructive feedback helps you realise areas for improvement and growth, enabling you to prioritise learning from mistakes instead of ruminating, and allows you to improve your performance.