How To Hunt For Ghosts At The Office During Your Downtime

It seems like most of us are always working. Everyday many of us get up and go to some office job. Well, what's the fun in that? Plenty of people would like more time to explore some hobbies. For instance, a lot of people (well, OK, just me and a few people I know) want to have more time to learn how to ghost hunt. We've seen all the reality shows and it looks really cool. Apparently, you get some equipment and then you walk around yelling at ghosts. It's important to have at least one sidekick that is scared of his own shadow.

Wow, ghost hunting seems like fun! I want to do that! But I can't. I have to work everyday. Well, I've figured out a way we can ghost hunt anyway. Why not incorporate the two together: working and ghost hunting!

I know you are probably thinking the idea is just too radical. How can this be possible? My dear readers, everyone keeps saying we need to think outside the box, so now I am. You can sit there and be content at the office doing something lame like actual work, but I am breaking new ground here. We can definitely ghost hunt at the office during downtime at work.

One of the major questions that might run through your head is, how do I know if my office is haunted? OK, you might seriously be overthinking this matter. First of all, it kind of doesn't matter. After all, you don't want to go out in the cold and the dark in the middle of the night for your first ghost hunting case, do you? No, I didn't think so. So yeah, we can just assume your office is haunted. If you work in a hospital, prison, or old building, it is definitely haunted. If it is a newer building, maybe it isn't too terribly haunted.

If you still need to be convinced that your office is haunted, fair enough. Here are some signs that you are working in a haunted office:

• You put food in the fridge, yet someone (or something!) mysteriously eats it and you never see it again.
• The copier makes horrific sounds whenever anyone is using it.
• The printer jams constantly even though you can tell there is no paper jam!
• You constantly hear whispering that is apparently coming from another co-worker's cubicle, but when you come around the corner, the whispering mysteriously stops. It looks as if no one was talking at all.
• Whenever a critical project is due, the computers always malfunction in some way right before the deadline. Only the most evil and unholiest of spirits could be responsible for that!
• The phone somehow always rings just as you are walking away from your desk. It stops just as you get back to pick it up.
• Oh, and if you turn around and see an apparition, your office is totally haunted.

In these hectic times, most of us really don't have a lot of downtime at the office. There are weeks when everyday is too busy to even think about the obvious ghosts roaming around the office. However, most office workers experience some type of downtime, even if it is only during lunch or maybe just a couple of hours a week. If you never have one single moment of downtime, you might want to consider looking for a new job, but I am getting off topic. When you do have some moments of freedom, this is your ghost hunting opportunity.

You are going to need a camera, a flashlight, a FLIR camera... just kidding! A camera and a flashlight should do since you are new to the ghost hunting scene. If you can get a small recorder, that would be awesome. Many MP3 players can even record voices. Now, you can start to move slowly throughout your office and try to talk to ghosts. Wave your recorder through the air every now and then as if the ghosts are communicating with you. Feel free to carry on conversations with the ghosts. This is also a great way to show your boss it is time for that "much needed vacation" you've been asking about.

If you'd like to be more subtle, you might want to wait until office hours have ended. After all, it will be dark then and if there is one thing I've learned from watching ghost hunting reality shows, it is that it must be pretty much impossible for a ghost to appear during the day. I mean, that has to be the case since everyone on these shows roam around at night tripping over stuff. So wait until after hours for your ghost hunt.

Once you've had dinner and everyone has gone home, you can then crawl around looking for ghosts with a flashlight. You can also try talking to the ghosts. You can say warm, friendly things to the ghost like, "Can you see what my boss is doing alone in his office during the day? Is he really working at all?" You could also attempt to provoke the spirit, which seems to be quite a popular option on a number of shows. You can yell stuff like, "Get out here now, ghost! I dare you to hit me!" If the ghost actually does appear, make sure to scream like a little girl and run. At least, that is what I've seen on TV.

This might also be a good opportunity to perform an exorcism on the copier or the printers. They never work right at any office, so trust me, they need all the help they can get. If you bring holy water, please remember not to throw too much on an electrical item, especially if it is still plugged in. If you destroy all the equipment at the office during your ghost hunt, that is going to be a challenge to explain the next day.

While you are hunting ghosts, if someone comes around the corner with a mop and a bucket, do not scream. That is not a ghost. It is just a cleaning person and you've probably scared him far more than he scared you. Just smile and nod; pretend like you know what you are doing and keep on your merry way. You might even find the cleaning person wants to help you. Perhaps he has been dreaming about becoming a ghost hunter as well and now you've got a new friend.

Now that your night of adventure at the office is over, you can compile all the evidence you've collected. This would include any mysterious photos you were able to capture, any EVPs (voice recordings), and any personal experiences you were able to write down. Now you can look at everything you've done and determine if your office is haunted. You can also opt to share this information with your co-workers. They may not understand how valuable your research is to your company, but not everyone can be innovative like us.

The main discovery you will probably make during all of this is that your job is really not that interesting, which is why this seemed like a good idea in the first place. If your office is seriously haunted, that is really cool. If your office isn't haunted at all, just consider this a learning experience and maybe you can investigate at a real haunted location one day when you actually have free time. Just never give up looking for ghosts and, most all, never give up looking for a more exciting job! Happy haunting to you!

Copyright ©2012 Jeannieinabottle