Work Frustration

How can you actually be powerless to affect change? Just because you cannot see how to make the changes, or do not have it within you to make the changes, doesn't mean you are powerless, you are choosing to give up that power.

That is how I stay calm. I know I can make changes if I choose to. :)

Sometimes people get change by bringing it up to the boss in the context of their own responsibilities. I have not had a sit down with my boss in that situation, but I did keep records to cover my own butt. For example, I'd email the coworker with the information request and then if it was crunch time, I'd forward that to the boss saying, "Is there another source of information for this? I am unable to verify x" I had to do that a lot when dragging information out of other departments for manuals. The engineers often felt telling us what was being created was unnecessary.

And I focused on getting out of there and took walks in the afternoons.

I do something where I can make a difference.
For example, if I have a frustrating day at work where something isn't going right and I can't change it....I go home and weed the flower bed in front of my house. That might sound dumb to some people, but I can spend 30 minutes doing something and WOW - look at that, this looks good and I actually accomplished something today! (not to mention the frustration energy I burn off doing it)

Your go-to thing is likely going to be different from mine, but find a task that you don't hate doing, and where you can see results when you are done and it will make you feel better.

If you are looking for an in-the-moment way to keep calm in a frustrating moment, for me it's yoga (deep breathing, mostly, so to me it's a part of yoga but no one can see I'm doing it in a meeting)

You just remind yourself that you are only there for a paycheck. Once your hours are completed you can leave and the stupid people won't be following you home.

You make peace with the fact that you can't control anyone else's actions, only your own.

I just remind myself that I'm being paid to do it their way and it's their name on the letterhead, not mine.

You have to decide if, at the end of the day, you are still happy with your job.

I get very frustrated sometimes b/c I too see things at my job that I know are not right, and need to be changed, but I have no power to do anything about it. But I also have had a pretty honest talk with myself, and I have decided that I like my job anyway and that I dont want to leave right now. So with that decision to stay, I have to be OK with knowing that sometimes I will be frustrated and that I wont always be able to change the things I want to change. So I have to just find ways to deal with my own feelings and move forward anyway. If it ever gets to the point where the frustration is too much and I am not happy anymore, then I will know it is time to move on from my job and find a new one.

When I am "in the moment" and feeling really frustrated (which sometimes makes me react emotionally), I get up and walk away from my desk for 10 minutes. Go outside, get a drink of water, talk to a work friend, or whatever. It gets my mind out of it for a moment, which is normally enough for me to return to business as usual.

I know it sucks but you have to try to remember you cannot change anyone but yourself. So even though it does suck and people can be really horrible, I will not let it get me down. I will start to hum to myself or think of my daughter to get myself smiling. That is not to say I do not go home and cry. LOL just last night actually I got home so frustrated I had a good cry. Letting it out helps as well. Then I say ok how can I preform harder and circomvent the a....hole at work.