3 Concrete Steps to Improve Your Mood at Work
(Cute puppy image credit: Well Pet Coach)
Research suggests that simply boosting mood can help to improve collaboration, resiliency, creativity, and even your pay at work. To boost your mood in-the-moment today at work, try one of the following science-supported tips:
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Eat an Antioxidant-Rich Snack
Research suggests that snacks can help restore willpower. In particular, snacks high in antioxidants—such as berries and dark chocolate—are especially good for your brain. And if you get ‘hangry‘–the way I do–a snack can do a LOT to improve your mood!
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Post Puppy Pics
Studies show that a glance at your furry friend may lower stress and improve performance. You might also try experimenting with photos of family and friends, or your favorite places, to see how much a mood-boost you get.
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Take a Power Nap
Strategic naps restore energy, reduce errors, and boost mood. If you can, try taking a 20-minute rest at work if you are tired, especially in the mid-afternoon; just don’t nap in a meeting!
How you do you—or are you going to–use research to boost your mood so you experience more productivity and creativity at work? You can apply one or two of the strategies from this post to boost your mood at work, and research suggests you’ll likely boost the moods of those around you as well.
While the tips above can truly help to boost your mood at work, if you continuously feel unhappy and unproductive there could be a bigger issue at play: disengagement. Recent Gallup polls suggest that only 15-33% of people are engaged at work, leaving up to 67% of people disengaged.
If you are still feeling low energy or have a bad mood at work even after you’ve tried the quick mood-boosters in the post, I’d suggest you read more into how you might increase your engagement in the workplace so that you are happier, more productive and more successful each day:
- How to Find More Passion at Work
- How to Increase Employee Engagement with SCARF
- Truly Tap Your Strengths To Do Better Work and Enjoy It More!
We’d love to hear your feedback and how applying these tips goes for you! Reply in the comments, share the post on Twitter or Facebook, or send us a comment.