This week was unusually long and stressful which is why I really enjoyed a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work.  In one of my recent blog posts, Are You Happy at Work?, I explored reasons why only 45% of U.S. workers are satisfied with their jobs.  How do we not only keep ourselves happy in the workplace but also keep our employees satisfied?

I tend to get so busy with my work and deadlines that I forget what time it is and I usually forget to take a break.  Here is what I learned from Shawn Achor, a former Harvard University researcher.

Here are 6 incredible cures for the workplace blues:

1. To avoid workplace stress, focus on the process of your work which you can control, rather than outcomes which you can’t.

2. Don’t immediately label events good or bad, but remain open to potentially positive outcomes of even the most seemingly negative events.

3. Do something for somebody without expecting anything in return and compliment and thank your co-workers.

4. After two hours of continuous work, your brain function actually slows and your body starts to rapidly accumulate stress and strain. Split up your workday into short sprints of 90 to 120 minutes each, with a 5-minute break in between.  Think of work as a series of sprints, not a marathon.

5. If you want people to thrive in the workplace, you cannot work them to exhaustion and you cannot focus on only short term outcomes.

6. Stop focusing on stress and look instead for opportunities to smile and laugh.  (Did you know that some stress is actually good for you?)

7. The greatest predictor of success during stress and challenge is the quality and quantity of your relationships.

Research shows that employees with positive attitudes turn in better performance, get stronger reviews, are more creative and perform better in teams.  I hope to put these items into practice as I am sure next week will be as equally stressful as this week!

[RELATED: How to Pre-plan Your Week So You Don’t Stress]

How do you handle the workplace blues?