Validation and Negativity in The Work Place

We have all experienced negativity in our work place more often then we estimate. Negativity is ineluctable; if you haven’t experienced it yet, you are a rare species. Its rather become a part of the working environment then a problem to deal with. Most negativity is an outcome of not being able to decide or not being acknowledge. Lets make this clear who doesn’t need validation? All of us do right? The lack of this is often translated into frustration which results into negativity. Gone are the days of gossiping around the water cooler, after the digital boom this negativity has moved online making it difficult as people hide behind screens.

Karyn Hall, PhD in her Blog post on PsychCentral states that Self-invalidation and invalidation by others make recovery from depression and anxiety particularly difficult. Some believe that invalidation is a major contributor to negativity. Often negative people pull your moral down along with them. Luckily I experienced this at the beginning for my career and it is something I carried with me as a learning. In 2012 I was interning at one of the big an advertising agencies in Mumbai and obviously was filled with exciting and thrill. All charged up after my 4 year bachelors degree I was all ready to start learning and working at this amazing place. However the manager I was reporting to wasn’t as excited to have me on board. As a fresher in the industry I was like a sponge, soaking in all that I could. Constant comments of how inexperienced and young I was kept filling with negativity. I had just moved to Mumbai a month back from a small quite town in Goa, I was always catching up with the big city life. The negativity at work affected everything from engaging to been productive. No one likes to work in a toxic work environment. Dealing with negativity can really be difficult specially at a place that you are supposed to be creative and productive. Its often out of our control, hence we need to learn to deal with these situations, and there are a few ways to get around it.

Our reaction is often seeing or experiencing a negative or unfavorable behavior is to do one of two things – ignore it or complain about it. These are natural reactions, yet they’re decidedly counterproductive. Conversely, invalidation is one of the most damaging forms of emotional abuse. According to doctor Jamie Long one of the four options we have in any problem situation is acceptance. Validation is one way that we communicate acceptance of ourselves and others.