One day Maria woke up and realized that she just did not want to go to work. I felt paralysed, I just could not go to the office, and for the whole day I just sat in my bed and sulked. In Marias case there had been a whole lot of issues that had led her to this crisis.

Firstly her relationship with her immediate boss had deteriorated for a number of reasons. Secondly the business that she worked for was experiencing cash flow problems, which directly impacted on Maria as she worked in the accounts department. I was forever haggling with suppliers to renegotiate payment terms. Then the sales staff would come into my office complaining that we had not received stock because supplier accounts had not been paid. I felt like everyone was always angry with me. That evening her concerned boyfriend came over with a box of chocolates and cheered her up. Luckily the next day some of her spark had returned and she was able to get up and go to work, but the situation could have been a lot worse. That morning Maria decided to take positive action to prevent this situation from ever reoccurring.

The CareersCoach Guide preventing the Workplace Blues

Rule out Clinical Depression

Firstly if you feel depressed or anxious and it is affecting your work or any other aspect of your life then it is a good idea to visit your doctor to rule out clinical depression or other illnesses.

Conduct a challenge audit

Take the time to thoroughly audit ever aspect of your work environment. Make a list of all the stresses that you face in your current position. For example Marias stresses included: a bad relationship with her boss and the impact of the organisations cash flow problems.

Take positive action

Take the list of problems identified in the audit and set about turning each problem into a solution. Do this by analysing the cause of the problem and considering all possible solutions. Once you have decided on the best solution to the problem you need to design a plan of action to solve the problem. In the case of Maria she realised that she needed to improve her relationship with her boss so that she to talk to him about the stresses of her job and gain his support in minimising those stresses. She then identified a number of strategies to improve the relationship and then set about implementing those strategies. Today she has a much better relationship with her boss and together they have identified a number of ways to minimise stress in the office. If you need help with this enlist the services of a CareersCoach or work with a trusted mentor.

CareersCoach tips to staying happy in the office

Start your day with some exercise, walk to work, do some yoga go to the gym anything to get your blood pumping

Do one nice thing for a colleague each day. This will help you to build strong relationships and make you feel good about yourself

Set yourself some achievable career goals, this be anything from goals to help you win a promotion or some goals to achieve better work life balance

Conduct regular audits of your work environment and continually work on making positive change that enhance both you happiness and workplace performance

Hire a coach or get a mentor, someone to motivate you, inspire you and listen to you

Make a list of all the things that you love about your career and workplace, pin it up so that you will see it ever day.