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I can remember making a huge mistake at work my first week on the job. I was sending out a mass email to several client groups, and had been working off a template that I was altering from group to group. My template read as,
“Dear (Insert Client Group Name Here),”
In theory, using a template should work. That is, if you remember to properly fill in the fields. Well, I forgot to do this for one client group.
I clicked “Send,” and then realized what I had just done. I felt the color immediately drain from my face as I stared at my glowing computer screen.
F*ck. What had I just done?
I imagined the hundred or so clients that would be receiving this email. I could see their faces as they opened the email and realized that the new girl had just addressed them as a nameless client group.
Could I get fired for this?
As I had a mini panic attack, I realized I should tell my boss straight away. Maybe there was something that could be done. I nearly sprinted to his office down the hall. As I burst through the door, he whizzed around in his swivel chair and looked at me. I must have looked scared, because he asked, “Sh*t. What happened? Did someone die??”
I told him what had happened. Though I was convinced nothing could be done, I wasn’t about to let this big problem get any worse by not telling anyone.
Turns out, something could be done. My boss rang IT, and they were actually able to retrieve the email on the internal server within a few minutes.
Though the problem ultimately got fixed, it didn’t stop me from feeling awful about it and beating myself up for days afterward.
We all make mistakes at work at some point. Maybe you find yourself making mistakes when you’re stressed. You may obsess over every little mistake and convince yourself that you’ll never get it right. You may even have anxiety at work over the mere possibility of messing up.
Though you may feel absolutely powerless when you make a mistake at work, you do have a choice in how you deal with the aftermath, and ultimately what you make of the situation. Mistakes can actually make you a stronger, wiser person.
Want to learn how you can quickly bounce back from your mistakes at work? Use these 9 steps to stop obsessing over your mistakes at work.
9 Ways to Stop Obsessing Over Your Mistakes at Work
1. Apologize if necessary. If you accidentally offended someone, cited incorrect information, or didn’t follow your manager’s directions, etc., apologize. It doesn’t need to be lengthy or detailed, just a simple, “I’m sorry. I’ll work on correcting that.” Once you’ve apologized, don’t look back. You don’t need to make excuses or try to prove yourself, nor do you need to openly criticize your mistakes. Simply acknowledge that you messed up and move forward.
2. Give yourself a brief pity party. When you make a big mistake at work, it’s perfectly normal to hyper focus on your mistake and feel embarrassed and/or frustrated. Allow yourself to have a pity party for a few minutes to get these emotions out of your system. Find a way to release these negative emotions by going on a walk, journaling for a few minutes, or talking to a friend. You’ll be able to move forward faster if you can healthily release the negative emotions that come with making mistakes.
3. Then look at the big picture. Still can’t find a way to stop obsessing over your mistakes at work? Take a step back and look at the bigger picture. In a few days, weeks, and even months, your mistake will be a mere blip on the radar. Everything seems worse when you’re in the thick of it, but in reality, the mistakes you make at work matter little in the long run.
4. Relax. EVERYONE MESSES UP. Sure-people at work may be hard on you when you mess up, but the truth of the matter is that they have all messed up and had a bad day at some point, too. Though they may not admit to it, everyone can relate to mistakes.
5. Find a way to laugh at yourself. When I say laugh at yourself, I don’t mean in a self-deprecating way. Rather, don’t be so hard on yourself. For instance, I had a friend at one of my previous jobs that accidentally walked into the men’s bathroom instead of the women’s. This wouldn’t have been so bad, except for the fact that her male boss was coming out as she was going in. She felt extremely embarrassed and was beating herself up over it. When she told me about it, I couldn’t help but laugh. Pretty soon, she was able to find the humor in the situation and was able to see it in a more positive, laughable light.
6. Remind yourself of the things you did/do well. One trick I learned to use when I messed up at work was to think about a time where I did something well and felt good about myself, rather than hyper focusing on the mistake I made. Maybe you nailed a presentation last month and got awesome feedback from your manager, or maybe you came up with a creative solution to a problem that your team was having last week. Focus your thoughts instead on the things you do well, rather than worrying so much over your mistakes.
7. Act confident (even if you don’t feel confident). This is a great psychological trick you can play on yourself to feel less anxiety about the mistakes you make at work. Though you may feel far from confident when you make a mistake, act confident. The human mind will actually mimic the emotions of the behaviors you’re displaying, so by merely acting confident, you’ll feel more confident.
8. Look ahead. One way to stop worrying about your mistakes at work is to simply look ahead, rather than to the past where you have messed up. Do you have a big presentation coming up? Focus on that. Are you taking a vacation next month? Think about how much fun you’ll have! Don’t waste your time or energy on trying to fix what’s already happened. You’ll never be able to change your past, but you can change what you make of today.
9. Remind yourself that mistakes are pivotal to your growth and learning. Mistakes are integral to our own personal growth. They show us what we really want out of life, how to take responsibility, how to let go of our fears, how to have confidence, and teach us how to accept ourselves, flaws and all. The most important thing you can do when you make a mistake is to learn from it. So don’t fear making mistakes. Worrying about the inevitable only causes unnecessary anxiety and pain. Embrace your mistakes and see them as valuable life lessons.
