3 signs you’re the office “Debbie Downer”

It can be an easy thing to look around your office and identify employees and behaviors you deem less than positive. What can be more difficult is reflecting on yourself and deciding if you are, in fact, the negative one in the office. Whether you work at a large corporate company or a smaller, more intimate one, a “Debbie Downer” can really bring the down the office as a whole. It’s time for some self-reflection … are you the “Debbie Downer” in your office?

You drudge up the past

We all go through challenges at work and that is okay, just as long as we learn from them and move forward. You are the office Downer if you constantly bring up past issues and rehash them with the team. No one likes to be remembered when things were amiss, especially if everyone has since moved on. So, leave the past behind and find new sources of inspiration.

You view every mistake as catastrophic

We’re not robots, we’re human. Therefore, we will make mistakes along the way. It’s true some missteps are bigger and more serious than others, but the key to getting past them is not overreacting. You are the office Downer if you treat a colleague’s error as much worse than it actually is. More than likely, your coworker feels badly about their mistake. So, there is no sense in rubbing it in, as that will only make them more discouraged.

You’re being avoided

When someone at work (or say, a friend outside the office) is bringing others down, there’s a good chance they will start to be ignored. Have you noticed that you really don’t have many friends, or you once did and now they’re suddenly scarce? It could be because of your negative outlook. At work if you’re the “Debbie Downer” you’re like a dark cloud over an otherwise happy and enthused team. If that is the case, you may notice others interacting with you less in an attempt to avoid your pessimistic cycle.