You definitely are, that’s why you clicked to read what this article entails, or maybe not: surveys show that 50% of the world’s population constitutes of people who are unhappy with their jobs, especially people in the corporate world. We wake up every day with no thrill to go to work, but we have to anyway because we have mouths to feed, bills to pay, or sometimes, we just don’t have better opportunities because it has proved to be difficult for the common man to secure a “better job” since it seems to rain everywhere.

This all narrows down to the way we think: your mindset, your perspective. Some days are okay, while other days you just want to quit your job or have an emotional outburst because you feel overwhelmed, disturbed, or even depressed at work. Let me let you in on something: nothing great is ever achieved easily. Before you shout at HR today because you have had enough, or before you hand in that resignation letter yet you have no plan B, consider doing the following:

Try reading self-help books: The majority of the people in the corporate world think that books are just repetitive paragraphs of clichés where authors tell you to never give up and wake up early because the early bird catches the worm, nowadays the narrative has changed to ‘ the known bird catches the worm’. But worry not, books on emotional intelligence help you control your anger immensely, stay calm even in unpleasant situations, and master the art of stillness. This helps you to calm your own mind whenever you are overthinking or standing on the edge. I would personally recommend ‘The Obstacle is the way’ and ‘stillness is the key’ by Ryan Holiday. These books will help you become emotionally and mentally strong to defy all odds.

Remind yourself that not all days are similar: Remember when you and your colleagues had fun talking about a topic you like? Or when you accomplished a magnitude task and felt like the ‘tycoon of your domain’? Or when you had a good day because you were able to achieve your deliverables? Then other days you had mental breakdowns and cried in the washrooms because you don’t want anybody to see you in your vulnerable state? Or your boss shouted at you and made you feel worthless? Do you see the disparity between the two? Listen, the days are not similar and some are going to be good while others will be bad, you have to accept that and learn to live with it until your mind fully gets used to that fact.

Find out what is making you uncomfortable: Most of the time, we feel depressed because we are not achieving our targets, or not getting better pay, or we have toxic bosses and workmates, etc. Find out what is causing you grief and address it. Talk to your bosses if possible and tell them about your grievances, if it is a changeable situation they will help you out. If not, then re-direct your energy to changing your mindset. So what if a colleague called you useless? You know your capabilities and the moment you start letting words get into your head, you are ruined. Learn to ignore the noise, and stop crying or getting angry when someone says something mean to you, focus on your career growth, organization goals, and pay slip.

Differentiate between ‘employee’ and ‘you’: In order to survive amidst the chaos, you have to learn how to differentiate between you as an employee and you as an individual, living life. This is because sometimes we let things cut us too deep at the workplace that they affect our personal lives. You should focus on working and going home, drift away mentally after you go home, and focus on your life out there. If something is stressing you out at work, wait till you get to the office and pick it at the door, and then leave it at the same spot when you head out. Sometimes people ‘worship’ their jobs too much that it ends up ruining their mental health.

Consider asking for leave: When you feel like you are in a very bad mental state and you can’t take it anymore before you make any decision kindly ask for a 2- 3 day leave so that you can be able to think deeply without having clouded judgment. Anger, depression, and dissatisfaction can prompt you to make hasty decisions that a calm and neutral mind won’t. Taking a break helps you relieve your mind slightly from the plight you are going through and may help you see things from a much clearer perspective.

Do your work and do it in the best way: If you wire your brain to enjoy what you do at work, no matter how tiresome or boring it is, you will adopt a habit of seeing it differently and accept the fact that you can’t change anything at that moment. Instead of complaining every single day and feeding negative energy to your brain, focus on perfecting your work and you will be amazed at how good you turn out to be and how much you will enjoy spending hours at work.

The corporate world can either build you or kill you and crush your spirit completely, you just have to decide which path to follow. Happiness is not something you can purchase, and nobody is ever entitled to make you happy, you can choose to be happy even if you have a tornado in your life. Just by accepting the things that you can’t change, and working on the things that you can change.