Psychologist Emma Kenny shares her tips to achieve a happy work/life balance

"Work takes up an inordinate amount of our lives," explains psychologist Emma Kenny. "If we actually realised as kids just how important those option choices were, we would all potentially have chosen with more wisdom and worked with more vigour."

But of course, by the time many of us arrive at work we find ourselves more concerned with paying our bills than chasing the dreams we may have once held.

But even if you haven't got your perfect position work can still be a fulfilling place to be. Emma's formula for a perfect work/life balance is: Two and a half hours at the desk, two hours outdoors, an hour and a half socialising, two hours being active and one hour for lunch. But these can overlap and she explains that you should just try and aim for this ratio, while appreciating it's not possible to hit it every day.

[How to be taken seriously at work]
[Sheryl Sandberg's 10 tips to get to the top]

To help you feel better at work, try Emma's tips:

Make friends - passing your work day with people you like can make a mundane or stressful position feel good.

Make an effort - that means with everyone! Whoever you work with or who visits your place of work should feel valued. If you make sure you offer a sense of belonging and respect to each and every person you meet, you can literally transform your work place.

Don't join in the negativity - The worse thing I see is people bitching about their jobs or each other. Instead ask people to think of solutions to their situations. This silences the snipers and encourages the radiators.

Take your dinner hour and get outside -It’s so important to get some fresh air along with white light on title skin. This makes for a healthier and happier you.

Be proud of your achievements - Research suggests that we rarely get good feedback from our work accomplishments, so instead of looking to others to remind us of our worth, we need to remind ourselves.

Have professional courage - Creative and meaningful conflict is great for the workplace. If you see people being treated unfairly then speak up. If you feel that you are being treated unfairly refuse to stand for it. This way you become the positive in your position and prevent others from feeling they have the power to harm you.

Know your worth - Be self-full, take all your breaks, refuse to take work home with you and know your worth. This way you will never feel overwhelmed by your work load, whilst feeling in control of your work life balance.

Have fun - It doesn't matter what you do, if you can inject a sense of humour into the work place then everyone can benefit.

Finally, if you are really unhappy with your job then take the hint. Imagine spending fifty years doing your current job, if this fills you with dread it's time to get creative, go back to the drawing board to plan some exciting changes and challenges to ensure you get what you want from your future.

Psychologist Emma Kenny is working with Royal Caribbean International to launch its exciting blogger-on-board opportunity putting its ‘happiness at work’ formula to the test.  For more information on this once-in-a-lifetime experience visit www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/awaywithwords