Working life. What comes to your mind when you hear this word? Is it contentment or despair? Majority of us would fall under the latter, considering the fact that you are reading this article now and that is completely okay.

We spent more than 8 hours at work and that adds up to 40 hours a week or more for some of us in various industries. We see and spend more time with our colleagues and bosses than with our family and friends. Therefore, it’s a no-brainer that we all seek to be well-liked and to establish fruitful relationships at working life.

However, work isn’t always smooth sailing things don’t go how we thought it would be and that can make the circumstances we trapped ourselves in worse than it needs to be. We are going to talk about some common obstacles you may be facing and more importantly, how you can take action to turn things around because after all, there are more important things in life than letting work get you down.

Here is my experience in encountering my working life

Feeling “stuck” in Your Current Position

Going to work seems like a drag you may experience pre-anxiety at the thought of going to work tomorrow and discomfort creeps in you. The worst case scenario would be undergoing insomnia at night and resulting in your mind and body in deteriorating. Open a word document or take a piece of paper and pen down what is making you feel “stuck” in your current position. The source of what is resulting in these thoughts are essential to break you free from them, for example, your efforts in leading a project successfully were not recognized by your superior or management.

After pinning it down, summarise the situation and identify exactly what and where went wrong. Perhaps, someone else took credit for it, and you didn’t speak up about it or it was a misunderstanding due to miscommunication. Rather than dwelling on the situation, find ways to work around it to your advantage when you have every right to do so.

Read also: How to Have a Productive Morning Routine

Dealing with Difficult Colleagues or Management

We meet people of various personalities from all walks of life, we probably get along with most of them, but there are always one or two individuals that we can’t seem to “click” with and that’s perfectly normal. We are unable to make everyone we meet come to like us and we are not obligated to in any way, if there is one thing for sure – human relationships should come naturally and be developed accordingly without rushing or forcing it. Dealing with difficult colleagues or management is also part of work in society, these people make us stronger by helping us develop better working relationships with others and learning on how to be better communicators.

It isn’t easy and can be daunting and exhausting to deal with such individuals on a daily basis, but as long as you are in control of your thoughts and emotions you shouldn’t be affected by their behavior. Remember, what other people say or do is a reflection of themselves and that has nothing to do with you at all.

Overwhelmed with Tasks and Pressing Deadlines

Depending on the context of our work environment and job scope, work can get hectic as we find ourselves overwhelmed with tasks and pressing deadlines. This can be more pressuring when your superior micromanages or if you happen to encounter an uncooperative teammate while it is good to have tasks at hand, if you have reached the point where you find yourself unable to be productive or efficient in your job compared to before, it’s time to pause and analyze the situation by taking a step back.

Don’t make things harder for yourself by handling all the responsibilities alone especially if your job is at stake, you don’t want to accidentally set yourself on fire. Only by communicating and drawing attention about the subject to your superior or even the Human Resources Department is the way to go to realign your job objectives and find your peace again. We are all capable of doing more, but that can only happen if we are given the proper resources in a timely manner and learning to reach out for a helping hand can make all the difference we need.

Unable to Fit Into The Company Culture

Our instinct tells us more than we think we know we may try to deny it, but it’s no good because we are unable to run from the truth and most of the time, we should trust our instincts more. Company culture is very crucial when it comes to working life it is made up of the entire beings in the organization, it is every little thing that sums up the culture we surround ourselves in.

With that said, you are also part of the culture! you may not feel comfortable with how things work here or you just don’t feel “right” with the organization’s structures and processes. Every individual is capable of change and implementing new frameworks Have you tried to transform the culture? Have done all you can to improve on how things can be done better? You may be surprised at what you can do and how people are actually willing to listen and give your ideas a chance. If you can’t change things, be the change you want to see.

What are your favorite practices to encounter obstacles at work?