I’ve known many instances of stormy clouds and mud puddles at work both as a grad student and as a professional. What I remember most about those times is that I had coworkers who were all there for each other and for me. We didn’t pretend we didn’t all see the storm cloud and bounce around the office in our positivity sunglasses. Instead, we got out our rain gear and sloshed through the storm together, getting as much positive work done as we could. In those times I would have loathed someone being bouncy and chipper and telling me I should be too.

We have to remember what Student Affairs is and does and that along with every student being unique and having their own story so do we as grads and pros. It’s important to be ourselves, be authentic, but to also seek to understand others. When you’re having a bad day, don’t put your energy into hiding it, instead try to refocus energy on empathy. Modeling this will also help your coworkers do the same and improve the positivity in the office.

How does empathy make bad days better or a poor work situation more manageable? When a coworker is “stuck in their ways” (we all know at least one and it’s super frustrating) consider where they are coming from, how much they fought to get things the way they are, and what you can do to help their transition, instead of becoming angry at them for their difference. When times are tough and you have the ability to brush off an incident, consider that another person you work with may be severely triggered by that event and they need a different kind of support than you’re used to giving. When we reflect on our differences and we are each authentic it allows us to not only be more positive and understanding but it also helps us be better professionals.

We don’t all need to be happy and chipper to be a positive addition to the office or campus and sometimes this can be more harmful to others than we want to think. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to take a step back, reconsider our perspective, maybe put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, hone in on our empathy, and it will in turn make our workplaces more positive. This also gives us the opportunity to practice giving critical yet constructive feedback. We can’t just think about a new perspective, we also must act on it.

What are some times you had difficulty at work and then when taking a step back, you were able to change your outlook? Or what were some times where a coworker was able to do that for you and what was its impact?