Confessions of a Social Climber

Rawr. Ever had one of those days when, smile as you might, things just don’t go the way you planned them?

Loads upon loads of work to do, tough e-mails to answer, customer woes (gotta love ‘em), the boss is having a bad day (gotta understand) … and oh, after all that, you have a couple of meetings to be late for, upon which, you’ll make the time agreed upon, while your client rings you that he’ll be late, or that he won’t be able to make it. Rawr.

Face it, it’s getting to you — you’re soul is slowly being sucked in by the mini-vacuum of the machine. This is horrible for the reason that, not only would the quality of work suffer, and besides, having a burn-out in your 20’s? That’s bound to age you horribly.

So unless you work in an environment where the slaughter of nearby cubicle-dwellers or little animals is tolerated (or encouraged! haha!) — you better have some means of coping.

Here’s a couple of things I do to make long days a bit more bearable:

Caffeine – It’s the ultimate sports drink for that all-nighter. Scientific research has proven that it gives people a “lift,” meaning, takers of caffeine feel a lot more motivated. It has an added perk of decreasing depression and increased performance on repetitive tasks. (And how could be science be wrong?) Get some coffee, or a soda – it provides that kick to start your day. And yeah, old rules apply, anything too much? Bad, bad, bad wrong.

A Walk – Step out of the office, interact with people who aren’t your officemates. Take a walk around the block. A short walk outside the office environment will give you a natural refresher of what lies outside the workplace. And also, that walk works up a sweat. More muscles exerting effort = faster blood circulation. Faster blood circulation = more oxygen for the brain. This will help you think. (Besides, getting angry just uses up more energy for nothing,, and that lowers the IQ.) If possible: pass by gardens and stare at the leaves or the grass. The human eye can only stare at something long enough before it needs rest. Looking at something other than your computer monitor all day is a must.

Comfort food – There’s a reason it’s called comfort food. (Clue: It brings comfort!) Grab your favorite flavor of ice cream during a break, or eat your favorite food during lunch. That’ll most certainly help in making you think that, outside the world of working, there’re tons more good things in life. Pro-tip: If you see an office friend having a hard time, ask that friend out on your break, or, better yet, surprise that buddy with some take out. They will thank you for it, and who knows, maybe next time you’re having a bad day, a cone of your favorite might start walking your way.

Of course, walking away is the easiest path out. If you’ve lost heart in what you do, then maybe it’s time to look for something better anyway