Aiming for Healthy and Desirable Work Experiences Empowers Us



Going to a Positive Work Experience Frees Us from a Negative Situation

As a therapist and wellness workshop facilitator, I often hear persons bemoan an unpleasant, draining and toxic workplace situation. A frequently expressed sentiment is, “I have to get out of there”.  It makes sense that we wish to leave situations that are causing us distress. However, we will often get stuck if we only focus on the negative circumstances and pain of the present, without a sense of where we wish to head.  By becoming immobilized, we simply find ourselves in a chronic state of misery and desperation.  Another possibility of simply escaping a negative situation without a clear sense of going to a positive circumstance, is that we may find ourselves in a new workplace environment, dealing with similar negative dynamics and being just as unhappy.  

This article addresses ways to transcend and getting in control of a distressing work experience, so that it becomes clear where you wish to head.  This requires us to address the distressing aspects of the current negative work experience and to use that information, to inform us as to what we wish to experience in a new position that would be in our best healthy professional interests.
If addressing any possible changes in the current workplace have been exhausted or determined not worth the effort, it makes sense that it is time to move on.

Let’s get empowered around our career lives by clearly identifying where we are headed and what we wish to experience, so that we will (by definition) leave a negative situation. Here is a method to re-orient your thinking in a more proactive manner.
Create the Following Four Column Model:

Sources of                  This Makes                     The Healthier, Positive                     Steps to
Work Distress            Me Feel                           Experience I  Seek                            Take
_______________________________________________________________________________ 


  1. Identify what bothers you.  Make a list of the dysfunctional situations, mistreatments, and sources of unhappiness.  What is causing your unhappiness?                                                    For Example: I am underutilized in my current position
  2. Specify the negative feelings generated by each of the specific sources of distress in Col. #1  For Example: This makes me feel bored and unmotivated
  3.   Allow the reasons or sources of distress and whatever specific negative emotions to inform about a preferred experience that would make for a healthier and more fulfilling work situation For Example: I desire more challenge and opportunities to grow professionally
  4. Create a specific plan of action and begin working toward attaining a desirable and healthy  work experience                                                                                                                         For Example: I will see a position that provides me with experiences that are commensurate with my interests and skill level

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