Learning how to control your emotions at work is not only appropriate but is also expected in the professional setting .
At work you are always faced with difficult challenges, deadlines to beat and trying relationships.
When you are trying hard to do everything that you are supposed to do and at the same time, you are dealing with other people, your emotions can easily rise and situations can become tense.
A mishandled situation, a bad word and a bad mood can damage a relationship quite deeply.
The uncertainty and instability surrounding businesses today only serve to increase the pressure you feel to perform at your level best.
As these ongoing changes take your toll on you, you start to feel overwhelmed, overworked and totally stressed out.
If you fell that you are unable to handle your emotions , the following guide lines will help you:
Know how to differentiate between inappropriate and appropriate behavior.
Emotions are natural and healthy neurochemical responses to events.
In many cases inappropriate emotional responses become apparent to you and others.
If you can’t perceive the difference, pay attention to the reactions of others.
If your responses are inappropriate you will notice that other people are negatively surprised or are affected, in some way, by your reaction.
Walk away from the trigger.
Triggers can be a person or an event that you believe is the source of your emotional response.
The moment you realize that your emotions have started to rise, move away from the trigger and look for a peaceful place to allow your emotions to get balanced.
If you happen to return to your office and still find emotions rising, try to remain composed.
You can tap your pen, squeeze a small hand ball or snap a rubber band to help you release negative energy.
Keep in mind that emotions pass.
If you are emotionally healthy, your emotions will come and go.
Emotions occur due to floods of neurochemicals being released and absorbed back within the brain.
Emotions therefore pass with time.Whenever you feel your emotions are starting to rise, just give yourself some time away to allow your emotions to pass.
Engage yourself in a simple exercise.
Here is a simple exercise that is extremely effective after you have experienced a negative event.
It helps you to understand the situation from your own eyes and also through the eyes of the other person who is involved:
Close your eyes and visualize the event . Recognize and feel the same emotions that you had felt earlier
Put yourself in the shoes of the other person(the trigger) and try to visualize the events that took place through their eyes.Recognize and feel the emotions that the other person was feeling
Visualize yourself floating in the air above both of you ,taking the position of third party,while observing the event as it took place.Feel the emotions that both you and the trigger are felling.
What happens during this exercise is an intense awakening of your perspective.
In step one, you will justify your position and reaction.
In step two, the person’s perspective becomes reasonable.
In step three, the truth surrounding the event is experienced minus any emotional attachments.
Eventually the emotion is released from the event and this helps to make the disruptive neurochemicals subside.This exercise helps you to keep your emotions in check .
-Communicate your need to others
If someone is aware that you are sensitive to certain issues they are more likely to temper their behavior around your needs.
When you are depressed you tend to shut down thereby denying your trigger a chance to help you.
The best way to help yourself is to let others know the things that are bothering you so that they may also help you.
Things that you must not do after your emotions go out of control
Don’t act as nothing happened.
After an emotional outburst has occurred, the particular issue must be addressed verbally with those affected.
Those around you are scared of silence and they will tend to fear you.
This means that your workplace will also suffer. Once you have calmed down it is necessary to avoid silence.
Stop bad mouthing others for your misbehavior.
It is appropriate to take responsibility for your actions.
Blaming others will only create animosity in the office.
If your co-workers have a problem with your negative behavior, you need to take appropriate measures to address it.
Do not delay in fixing what you have damaged.
If you happened to damage any property when you became angry, fix it immediately.
If you hurt someone emotionally during your outrage, reach out for professional help immediately.
Ensure that you fix everything that you damaged .
Do not be afraid to apologize to the affected people.
Apologizing for bad behavior in the workplace does work.
Failure to apologize may be taken to mean that you don’t care how you are perceived by others, or that you don’t care about others.
For you to become the person everyone wants to work with ,be able to control your emotions at work, be positive, work hard and produce results.
