20091111 COPING WITH A JOB YOU HATE (2)

Coping with a Job You Hate

Develop a positive morning ritual
Treat yourself to a latte, get up early enough to read the paper, or just set your alarm to play upbeat misic when you wake up. Improving your mornings can do wonders for the rest of your day.

Create a diversion for yourself in the office
Does being in your office make you yearn for the outdoors? Take in a tropical picture and use it as your screensaver. Buy yourself a "joke of the day" calendar. Plug headphones into your computer or bring your iPod to work. Go out for lunch.


Use your time to develop your skills
Use your time to make yourself a better candidate down the road. If your company offers training courses, take advantage of them. Use downtime to learn something new on your computer. Pick up a management development book and read it at lunch. Turn this job into an opportunity for self-improvement.

Blow off some steam
Most people have an activity that helps them unwind and get rid of tension. Go for a run after work, go swimming on your lunch hour, or take a nice long walk. Put this activity on your schedule so you will have something to look forward to every day.



ritual n. 例行公事/老規矩/習慣
=> something you do in a regular basis
=> habit
eg: My morning ritual includes having a cup of coffee as I read the morning paper.

diversion n. 轉向/轉移/轉換/分散注意力
eg: Eating lunch under a tree is a pleasant diversion from working in the office.

yearn v. 思念/渴望/嚮往
yearn for
eg: Even though I just returned from a vacation, I am yearning to take another one.
eg: Despite his success as a star, he still yearns for his parents approval.
eg: Patricia yearns for a quiet vocation by the lake with her husband.

un- 否定
wind v. 轉緊
unwind v. 鬆開/捲回/放鬆
=> relax
unwind unwound unwound
eg: I always run around the park at night to help me unwind from the pressures of the day.
eg: The nurse gently unwound the patient's bandages(繃帶).
eg: Listening to music helps me unwind after a long hard day.

blow off steam 疏解壓力
=> steam 蒸氣，在這邊引申為壓力
eg: Rita usually goes biking to blow off steam.
eg: Don't take it personally when Tom acts like that. He's just blowing off some steam.

upbeat adj. 令人樂觀的/歡快的
eg: That I passed University entrance examination was really a upbeat news to us.

downtime 停工期
= down time
=> when you are not busy


//== Chat Room ==//

feels down 顯得很低沈/沮喪
= look down

down the road 未來
= in the future

hands down 毫無疑問的/明確的
= certain
eg: Barbara is hands down the best student in the class.


//== Grammar on the Go ==//

Use your time to make yourself a better candidate down the road.
=> Use your time to make yourself a better candidate in the future.

down the road
=> in the future
=> at a later time

eg: Although Jim isn't interested in dating right now, he does want to get married down the road.
eg: Stella has been teaching for five years, but she thinks she might change careers somewhere down the road.