We’ve all been there. We’ve all worked for someone who is horrible or where the office politics was out of control and the whole environment just felt toxic. It can feel soul-destroying having to get up every morning and face what feels like your own personal hell.

You want to desperately change jobs but nothing seems to be happening. Instead you feel stuck. Stuck in a daily monotony of having zero passion for your work.

It’s not a fun place to be. At all.

Warning: the following paragraph contains a reality check so fierce that it will transform the way you think about your current situation and possible force you to act ASAP.

We need to understand that we are responsible for our own feelings.

100 per cent.

We control how we feel about other people, we control the meaning we place on events and we control how we chose to behave and act.

This means that your boss isn’t horrible at all but that it is just the meaning you have chosen to believe.

This doesn’t mean that other people don’t act immorally and inappropriately. What this means is, instead of learning something from the way your boss behaves, you have chosen to blame them for how you feel.

I’ll give you a personal example. At a previous job, I had a boss who would micromanage me, be extremely irrational and demanding. As silly as it sounds, I was afraid of her. After a while, though, I got sick of feeling afraid and like a victim of this ‘tyrant’. Instead I chose to focus on what I was doing to contribute to this situation.

Was there something I could do differently to counteract her behaviour?

What could I say that could change this situation?

As soon as I looked at what I could be responsible for, there was a shift. She stopped being overbearing and we started to have a better working relationship. There were times when her behaviour was inappropriate but I didn’t let that affect me and my approach to work.

We need to acknowledge where we have chosen to be the victim and blame other people or circumstances.

Symptoms include: fear, procrastination, focusing on a problem, using excuses, feeling stuck and hopeless. This type of thinking can be referred to as ‘below the line’ thinking. It is disempowering. Having this mindset does not help us create positive and transformational change in our lives.

When you have recognised that you are engaging in ‘below the line’ thinking, it is a great opportunity to move above the line.

Here are some simple action steps and questions to empower yourself with a better mindset:

• What responsibility do you have in this situation? How can you turn it around?
• Get clear about what results you want to have – where do you want to be?
• Embrace the belief that things can, and will, change.
• Take inspired action to change your thoughts, beliefs and behaviour

So now over to you – what are you struggling with right now in your workplace? In the comments section below, tell me 3 things that you can do to change how you think and feel about this situation.

For more insight into the best mindset to adopt in a toxic work environment, visit me at www.littleaussiecheerleader.com

You might also like:

• How To Love Your Current Job While Searching For Your Dream Job
• 3 Ways To Ooze Confidence Even When You’re Not
• What To Do When Messages Get Misconstrued
• This Employer Offers An Extra “Health and Happiness Day” Of Leave. Every Month.
• How To Coach Your Way To The Top
• Putting The “F” into Flexiblity