I’ve always felt like I could adapt easily to change. Life has been nothing but change for me it seems like for the longest time. Just when one thing finally settles down, another starts to shift and alter what I do and how I live.
Sound familiar at all? Recently though what all this change left me feeling was frustrated – with myself. I couldn’t understand why I felt so unsettled when it seemed everyone else was doing fine. Little things would start to bother me and I didn’t have my normal attitude. Ultimately it got me in somewhat of a slump and I had to pull myself out of it. Here are a few things I did that you can try to:
Remind yourself what you’re made of – Take a hard look at yourself and see if it’s what you want to own up to. Do you want to be known as the guy who just does enough work to get by? Or the girl who gripes about coworkers behind their back? Just thinking about it from an outside perspective can help you self-diagnose and change behaviors.
Go above and beyond for your coworker(s) – It’s so easy to focus on yourself when everything around you is changing, but when you do something you’re good at for others it can be empowering. You could up the ante on a report or presentation for your boss, follow-up with the coworker you were going to train on something, or organize a team-building activity.
Switch your focus to the future – Instead of thinking about what’s going on around you right now, think about how you can affect your future. What are you doing to achieve your personal and career goals? Is there something you can do to move yourself in the right direction? Focusing your attention on something new that you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t done yet can instantly re-energize you.
Oftentimes managers and recruiters want to know how you react under stress. If you can get yourself out of a slump and back into the game, you can prove that you can adjust well and respond to pressure in a way that is professional and productive.
