Career, Work Job, Employment, Vocation:
The occupational dimension of wellness is involved in preparing for work in which one will gain personal satisfaction and find enrichment in one's life through work. There is growing evidence to support the relationship between occupational wellness and the impact it has on one's physical and emotional health.
With the average professional week including at least forty hours of work, it is important to do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do. A first step in increasing your occupational wellness is to explore your talents and interests. Working day after day in a job that is not interesting or rewarding can be a drain on your energy level and lead to stress-related illness. However, if you spend the time to really explore options and find a career path that is interesting, enjoyable, meaningful and contributes to the larger society, you can find tremendous satisfaction in your work.
10 ways to love the job you're in
The economy requires you to work, so why not love the job you're in? Here are 10 ways to do just that:
The key to joy in work is the personal freedom to take action and make decisions using individual skills and talents. In other words, even if your job is the worst in the world, figure out a way to personalize it to suit you and your individual attributes.
Your salary and job title do not determine your self-worth. Make sure you assert your self-worth in the mirror at least twice a day, once before you head to work, and once after you get home.
Bureaucracy is at the heart of most workplaces, but you might feel better if you actually could talk to the people at the top making the decisions. Try to arrange a lunch date with the person making the decisions.
Don't be afraid to ask questions and occasionally ask for help. Being human, not knowing everything, and needing a hand is OK on most jobs.
Find something on your job to love, and this doesn't mean romantically. Friendships and a higher purpose, i.e. being a people person, can really help make the eight hours go faster and smoother.
Keep learning. Challenged minds are often happy minds. If you find yourself growing bored, consider additional job training or find out if your company will help you pay for a degree or advanced degree. Knowledge really can be power.
Talk to the right people. Telling your co-workers that you want to be a manager someday won't help you. Telling your boss will.
Improve your perspective. If you think your co-workers are out to get you, then they are. But if you tell yourself that the people you work with aren't so bad, then they aren't so bad.
If you have a lunch, take a lunch. Even if you only get 30 minutes, use 15 minutes reading or walking or doing something for yourself.
Keep a goal unrelated to work close at hand. In the movie "Collateral," Jamie Foxx's character was a cab driver who took mental vacations several times a day, by staring at a photograph. Find your daily mental escape and make it.