• Last week my boss arrived at the office over an hour late looking tired and distracted. He didn’t say hello to anyone, went into his office and slammed the door. Clearly he was having a bad day, and if there hadn’t been time sensitive and urgent issues needing his approval I would have steered clear.  Instead I stood outside of his door, where he could see me, and waited.  Twenty minutes later he came out and barked, “What do you want?” I showed him the paperwork that needed his approval, he signed it, I thanked him and quietly walked back to my desk (do my job, stay low and off the radar was my motto). Just when I thought I was in the clear, he came over to my cubicle, looked over my shoulder and began complaining about anything and everything office related. I didn’t dare respond as he continued his tirade, walked back to his office, and slammed the door shut again.

    My mind was definitely in another place (not thinking of leisure) at the time and I was abrupt with her on the phone

    What a great way to start my day, I thought. I was still feeling put out and stressed when my phone rang.  It was my wife calling to discuss our weekend social calendar. My mind was definitely in another place (not thinking of leisure) at the time and I was abrupt with her on the phone.

    What I realized later that same day was that I’d let my boss’ mood adversely affect my day and consequently my wife’s as well. Though I would love to blame him entirely, ultimately I’m responsible for how I act, react and treat others. So I had to ask myself why I wanted to join him in his misery and give him complete control over my mood. Let’s face it. Whether it’s your boss yelling at you, being mistreated by your spouse, or feeling upset for some other reason, we all have “off days.” So how do you snap out of it and prevent it from trickling down to your family and others around you?  In my case I wish I could have referred my boss to our Playdate article Anger Management. But pretty sure that would not have gone over too well.  So, fingers crossed he someday discovers it on his own. What was more important to me was finding a way to get out of the funk and to avoid bringing others down with me when I feel down and frustrated.

    Regardless, why would I want to give him the power to mess up my day?

    After being upset for a few hours that day, I finally realized how I could get out of my slump. It was to simply change the way I looked at things.  My boss was being a miserable person.  Maybe because someone else, having a bad day, took their frustration out on him. Regardless, why would I want to give him the power to mess up my day? He has control over what I do at work (for the most part) but I’m certainly not going to give him control over my emotions or my personal life. Thinking of this immediately helped me relax and I started to focus on all of the positive things I have in my life (family, health, a job, etc.).  I decided to try to put a positive spin on this experience. Writing this article gave me a forum for my thoughts, and helped me organize how to pull out of a downward spiral- seeing the other person’s life as being miserable, not wanting to give him control of my life, and taking control by focusing on positive things were the keys to helping me break out of my funk.  So, what techniques have helped you break out of your funk?