Day 5, Don’t Be Shy: Self.com’s 14 Days to a Happier, Healthier You!

Day 5 Task Completion Status: Success! Well, sort of.

I inadvertently accomplished today’s task. I didn’t do this task mindfully. It just got done on accident.

Truth be told, I pretty much forgot about the project and today’s task. I was having car trouble earlier today, and the 14 Days project took a backseat to my worrying about my car.

(Also, this particular task has been something I’d already been working on long before I decided to follow the 14 Day program.)

Day 5’s task was about taking the initiative to get to know your co-workers on a more personal level, rather than just professional. The idea behind this is that if you have someone with whom you have a fun, happy bond with at work,  you’re more likely to be happier at your job and in your life because you feel “more engaged” in your job.

I’m not a social butterfly at work by any means. I still feel kind of new there and I’m, more often than not, a naturally shy person. I’m not usually the kind of person that starts a conversation. I join them. I get invited into them. But I hardly ever start them. And this year, way before I’d really decided to start this project, I’ve been trying to work on my shyness.

So I guess I’d already laid the groundwork for today. Which turned out to be extremely lucky as far as my needing to complete today’s task. Because Lord knows, with the mood I was in, I was definitely going to be my own worst obstacle.

Since I’d had a rough morning with my car problem, I’d spent most of my shift worrying about how I was going to get myself home and feeling a bit irritated. My slightly sour mood didn’t affect my work though. Usually, when I’m upset like that, I tend to go into “turbo-mode” and try to keep myself focused on my work as a way to distract myself from what I’m feeling. A drawback of “turbo-mode,” however is that I’m less inclined to want to talk other people. Today, as I was feeling stressed, I was much quieter than usual.

But even though everything was getting done, I was feeling more and more tense. That is until, I found a smaller but happier distraction: a co-worker who shares my love for the t.v. show “Supernatural“.

I should say that she started the conversation. I did not take the initiative. But as we talked a bit about tonight’s new episode, I felt a bit lighter, less worried. And I think that relaxed feeling contributed to my later being able to calmly and successfully resolve my car issue.

I think, for obvious reasons, that connecting with your co-workers on a personal level can generally be a great thing. But I never realized before how fun conversations like that can be just as much of a stress reducer as a hilarious YouTube video or a piece of chocolate. I thought they were just fun.

Plus, I feel better about myself for breaking out of my shell a little more. And I think things would only get better if I actually started conversations more often. Or ever. I’ll definitely try to.

As always, I hope you enjoyed this post. Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think. I’d love to hear your opinions, questions and stories!

I’d also like to thank SELF Magazine for posting the article,“14 Days to a Happier, Healthier You!” , which inspired this blog post.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a lovely day!