Did Someone Just Hand You a Hot Bag of Poop?

Did Someone Just Hand You a Hot Bag of Poop?
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Years ago I was working in a toxic company. The culture was one of backstabbing and sneakiness and misery.

So I left and everything was roses and unicorns! Kidding.

I stayed at that job because I needed the income. There are a lot of us who've had to do this and might have to do it again. There are a few tricks we can employ to help make an unpleasant situation palatable. I don't mean fun; I mean manageable, acceptable or satisfactory enough to stay for a while.

Trick #1
Find a colleague whom you can trust and do NOT bitch about work. Ok, a little whining is fine. But if complaining is all you do, that's all the friendship is about and that's not a friendship. In other words, the bitching relationship will take you in a downward spiral of unhappiness and make you dislike everyone around you, maybe because you'll sense them avoiding your company. Instead, reach out with joy and develop friendships that will nurture your soul and feed you energy and elevate you above the crumminess around you.

Trick #2
Laugh. We laugh when we see someone else laughing and that makes us feel GOOD! You can start a laughing circle like this Laugh Therapy group in Bombay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpW6jtCfLTQ; or watch this over and over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP4abiHdQpc. Google laugh and watch all the babies and puppies and kittens you need. Laughter is the best medicine after all.

Trick #3
Create a ball that's labeled HBOS (that's Hot Bag of Sh*t). You see, I was given many bags of hot excrement at the toxic job and I was expected to hand them off to my team with a smile. It was unpleasant to say the least. So I came up with the idea for a ball labeled HBOS.

HBOS stands for "Hot Bag of Shit," but I explained it as "How to Blow Off Steam." Anytime I was handed a steaming HBOS, I called my one trusted colleague and we tossed the ball around for a bit. Until we laughed.

It can be crushingly disappointing to have to stay somewhere miserable, but we have the power to change our inner experience and make it through. At least until we find the job with roses and unicorns.

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