7 Tips For Surviving the Workplace

Do your coworkers drive you crazy? Are you well equipped to drive off problems before they arise? Here are 7 ways to survive the bumps in the workplace.
Step outside yourself and pretend that you are looking at a person other than yourself. Try to look at this person (you) in the same manner as others may be viewing and perceiving this person. Videotape yourself standing up and sitting down. Notice whether you are slouching. Are your shoulders back? Are you looking straight at the camera or are you looking down? The way that you hold yourself is a good indicator of how you feel about yourself. People treat us the way we want to be treated. Respect yourself, love you for who you are, embrace your difference and uniqueness and automatically, people will come to you.
Make it a rule to speak up immediately when something is bothering you. If you are too upset, excuse yourself and leave the room. It is better to take some time to cool down, rather than lose it in front of your coworkers. The worst thing you can do is cry. Crying is a big no no; you will lose all credibility and, once it's lost, it is difficult to gain it back.
If you dread confrontation and want to avoid dealing with discontentment, think of the snowball effect. Grudges not dealt with in a timely manner grow exponentially. How can you make it easier for you?
Practice what you are going to say to your verbal adversary. You need to imagine yourself talking to him, playing out every scenario in your mind. Then when it comes time for you to face the real situation, it will be ready armed with your arguments. You will have already rehearsed what to say in every possible outcome so that you are no longer nervous when you have a face-off on the verbal battleground. Repeated training and imagination are powerful tools. Like an actor, you repeated the scene so many times that you know it inside and out. The more you do this exercise the better at it you become. Remember – practice makes perfect! The first two or three times are scary, but, soon afterwards, you will notice the knot in your stomach disappear and surprise yourself that you are handling sticky situations with ease.
Remove the word “shyness” from your vocabulary. You have nothing to be shy or insecure about. You worked hard to get to where you are today. If you are the type of people that work hard, but don't seek recognition, kick that habit away!!! It does not work well in today's workplace. Instead think of someone that you admire who has no problem accepting praise and taking credit for her work and pretend for a moment that you are that person. Get into her skin. How does that make you feel?
If you feel awkward in a situation, drive the focus onto the other individual. If you are busy being interested in the other person, you will forget about your feeling out of place. On the contrary, you may gain a friend in instead. Everybody loves to talk about themselves. If you genuinely care and want to get to know your counterpart better, she will sense it and in return, regard you as an ally rather than an enemy.
Seek to help as many people as you can without expecting anything in return. Spread the good karma around you and, very soon, you will see it come back.
Avoid getting into office gossip. What goes around comes around. Uphold yourself to a higher standard. You never know who will show up behind you and hear your conversation. You never know if your words will be repeated. Therefore, do not say anything that you don't want circulated around the office.
In closing, there are just two things to remember: hold yourself to a high standard, help people around you and the favor will be returned one way or another.