Health, happiness and your career
Health and happiness are without a doubt the most important things in life; if you can confidentially say that you have both, then you are doing something (or several things) right! During the summertime, maintaining a balance between work and personal life can be extremely tough; especially for those who are constantly on the go all summer long. Having this in mind, we wanted to touch on the art behind finding the balance between health and happiness in the workplace, and how these two areas are intertwined in your career.
For some, the lines between home and work blurred. This makes being happy on the job more important than ever. Life is too short to spend at a job that doesn’t make you smile, challenge your intellect, and offer opportunities for both personal and professional growth.
Unfortunately, many of us were raised to believe that work isn’t supposed to be enjoyable. As a result, there’s a vast portion of professionals who find themselves trudging through the day.
Here are three direct benefits of a positive employment situation:
- Improved health – When a person is happy, their body releases endorphins, which assist the body in healing on its own. This not only increases your state of mind, but it will allow you to have better physiological functions and it will make your work a full-fledged body and mind cleanser.
- Happier relationships – When you’re spending your workday feeling imprisoned, unhappy and unfulfilled, it can carry over into your personal life — particularly if you’re keen on venting your workplace frustrations on friends and loved ones.
- Increased productivity – When you’re feeling good, you’re able to focus and actually accomplish work, which in turn fuels continued success.
In the the TED Talk video posted below, Shawn Achor, the CEO of Good Think Inc., talks about his research in positive psychology and how if we can raise our levels of positivity in the present. When we do this, our brains then experience what he calls a “happiness advantage,” which means our brain is in a positive state and performs significantly better in the workplace than at negative, neutral or stressed.
Seems simple enough right? Unfortunately, many in the workforce neglect to strive for roles that offer this positive environment, and as a result, their performance and overall well being suffers. If you wouldn’t settle for a life without happiness at home, why should you settle for that at work?
In the end, being happy at work means that you will be happy in general and that is really what life is about. So, do what you love!