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You love your job, but you are increasingly burdened by the need to spend days in the «office». Meetings and hands-on jobs, lunches in the canteen and conversations of colleagues begin to annoy? Do you feel like you’re about to break down? What is the cause of this irritation and how to get rid of it?
“It happened out of the blue, there was no explanation for this feeling. I suddenly realized that I had reached the handle, — says 37-year-old Yulia. — Every day the same thing: two hours of travel, the same faces and the same conversations! I told myself to just be patient. But six months have passed since then, and it’s only getting worse. I have a resignation letter on my desk. But I love my job!”
Many of us know that feeling when we don’t feel like going to work in the morning. During the day, we dream of going home as soon as possible. Forces seem to leave us in the office, but there is no energy, even if we are doing what we love. What is the reason for such fatigue?
I don’t have enough personal space
We have a biological need for our own space. “The distance at which we communicate with strangers is from 1,2 to 3,6 meters,” says Gestalt therapist and business coach Iskra Shestakova. “We let good friends approach us at a distance of 1,2 to 0,5 m. Only close relatives and lovers are closer.”
Open offices force us to constantly monitor how we look. It takes constant effort
In an office organized on the principle of open space (open space), the distance between employees according to the standards should be at least 1,2 m, but in reality it can be even less. Our personal space is violated, discomfort arises. It is a little easier when the tables are at least separated by partitions. But sometimes employees just sit around.
“At the same time, in open space, everyone is in plain sight,” the coach continues. — This means that he must look in a certain way, follow his posture, facial expression. It requires constant effort and creates a feeling of fatigue.”
I don’t manage my time
“We have to eat at lunchtime, not when we are hungry; we can’t go out for a walk; in offices with strict rules, even the number of exits to the toilet is rationed. Our biorhythms are disrupted, “and any biological disruption leads to psychological stress,” Iskra Shestakova emphasizes.
Even when it comes to work, we are not completely our own: the boss can interrupt our activity and give another task, colleagues can distract us with a question or request, after which we have to refocus …
I’m tired of talking
In the office, we don’t choose our environment. Even if we don’t like someone, we can’t avoid meeting that person.
“Most often, tension is associated with bosses at various levels, because it is more difficult to express dissatisfaction with them,” Iskra Shestakova explains. — But the habits or personal characteristics of colleagues can also annoy: one walks around in a wrinkled shirt, the other leaves a cup with a tea bag on the table. In my work, I often see clients repress relationship-related causes and perceive their dissatisfaction as depression or fatigue.”
What to do?
«Assign» space
Small things will help you make your workplace more habitable: a pen and a notebook for notes that you chose yourself, and did not receive in the office, your own keyboard in a shape that is convenient for you …
Even in those offices where any table can be used by any employee and therefore it is forbidden to leave personal belongings, you can still bring your “totem” animal or other trinket that will please you with you and place it near the computer.
Set aside time for a light walk before or after work; schedule short breaks; warn colleagues that in the next two hours you will not be distracted by giving someone advice or discussing something; agree with the boss in advance about what task you intend to solve during the day …
Think about what else you can do to make your time in the office more comfortable and efficient. Remember that taking care of yourself is your task, and it will be up to you to solve it.
Understand relationships
If someone speaks too loudly or someone’s mobile phone is ringing on the table, explain why this bothers you and what you would like (to speak more quietly or take the phone with you). Most often, colleagues go towards each other.
If the problem is in relations with superiors, then finding a new job can be a good solution, but even in this case it makes sense to talk with a psychologist first: perhaps the difficulties can be resolved in another way.