When Deep Breaths Just Aren’t Cutting It, Here Are 6 Ways To Maintain Your Zen In A Toxic Workplace

Yoga Meditation In Office to handle toxic workplace

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Your workplace is where you spend most of your time, and your environment greatly impacts your mental health and sense of well-being. So while you might think, “It’s just work – I’ll leave it at the office,” there’s a very good chance your work follows you home. In fact, it likely follows you everywhere you go. If you have a healthy, positive workplace, then you likely don’t notice it – rarely do we notice the absence of an issue. However, if you have a toxic workplace (which MIT Sloan School of Management says one in 10 people do), then the impacts of it stay with you, long after you leave the office.

Ideally, if you do have a toxic workplace, you can A) talk to someone higher up about changing things or B) leave for another job. But realistically, not everyone has the luxury or freedom to do either. Bills are real and bureaucracy is a thing. So when it comes to managing your mental health and keeping your Zen in the workplace, you might need to take matters into your own hands. Here are some ways to get started.

Find Your Other Zen Warriors

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Start to identify others at work who have a little light shining through. Find others who are trying to keep things positive, are the first ones to say a kind word and who don’t lean into the toxic culture. Form bonds with them – you need each other. The toxic culture strengthens in numbers, but so does a positive culture. Having even just one ally at work with whom you can talk and vent about your toxic encounters will do wonders for your mental health. Venting is actually good for you, as it lets you release pent up emotions, and it’s best done with someone who understands the situation.

Take Breaks Away From The Toxic Workplace

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If you can’t take your breaks with your other zen warriors, take them alone. You don’t have to give up your cherished break time to the toxic break room. Spend your breaks doing something that will rejuvenate you and uplift your spirits. Go for a walk. Call a friend or family member who makes you happy. Eat your lunch in your car or on a park bench, watching uplifting content on your phone. Don’t feel pressured to have lunch with toxic coworkers. Sure, relationships matter in work, but you don’t necessarily want life-long relationships with toxic people.

Rely On Headphones

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If your office allows you to work with headphones on, do so. You can listen to soothing white noise like raindrops or ocean sounds. If it’s not too distracting, you can listen to an inspirational speaker or Zen guru you like. You could even listen to an audiobook about maintaining positivity and a Zen mindset. Block out the toxic noise and replace it with something calming or uplifting.

Meditate In The Parking Lot

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Arrive to work 10 to 20 minutes early and meditate in your car immediately before going inside. Meditating can lower your heartbeat and blood pressure, and instantly relax your body. This will allow you to be less reactive to what you experience in the workplace. It can also put you in the present-moment mindset, which encourages you to ask yourself, “What is actually wrong, at this moment.”

Many Zen gurus would say that “problems” are just anticipation of events that have not occurred or memories of past events. But in most given moments, nothing is truly wrong or lacking. You have your breath breathing life into your body, your senses, employment, your health…the toxicity around you is not real. Meditation can help you remember that.

When Work Stress Follows You Home

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Try to do your best to leave work at work. A great way to do this is to also meditate for 10 minutes, in your parked car (or on the bus or train), right before you go into your home. It will bring you into the present moment, calm your nervous system, and help you leave stress at the door so you can show up for your family.

Neutralize Gossipers

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Gossip is one of the most toxic behaviors that can go on in a workplace. Your most toxic colleagues could be trying to undermine one another, sabotage each other and gain favor with you by making you dislike someone else. You don’t have to be a part of that. Master the non-response. Someone can share gossip with you and you can say, “Huh. It is what it is” or, you can even change the subject entirely. It’s awkward for someone to abrasively steer the conversation back to their gossip once you’ve moved on.

Share Some Of Your Zen

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Try to spread more of your zen energy to overpower negative energy. Send out a mass email offering to lead guided meditations in the break room during lunch. Post some quotes from Zen masters around the office. For every toxic thing you hear, say something positive and loving. The more positivity you put out, the more the negativity will stick out like a sore thumb, and toxic individuals might start to feel a little good pressure to cut that shit out.

How To Maintain Your Zen In A Toxic Workplace