MANAGING YOUR EMOTIONS AT WORK by Muyiwa Afolabi Weve all been in one of those situations before. You know... when your favourite project is cancelled after weeks of hard work; when a customer snaps at you unfairly; when your best friend (and co-worker) is laid off suddenly; or your boss assigns you more work when youre already overloaded. Stressful situations are all too common in a workplace thats facing budget cuts, staff layoffs, and department changes. It may become harder and harder to manage your emotions under these circumstances, but its even more important for you to do so. So, how can you become better at handling your emotions, and choosing your reactions to bad situations. Common Negative Emotions at Work Frustration/Irritation Frustration usually occurs when you feel stuck or trapped, or unable to move forward in some way. It could be caused by a colleague blocking your favourite project, a boss who is too disorganized to get to your meeting on time. Whatever the reason, its important to deal with feelings of frustration quickly, because they can easily lead to more negative emotions, such as anger. Here are some suggestions for dealing with frustration: One of the best things you can do is to mentally stop yourself, and evaluate the situation. Find something positive about the situation, this makes you look at things in a different way. Remember the last time you felt frustrated – The last time you were frustrated about something, the situation probably worked out just fine after a while, right? Your feelings of frustration or irritation probably didnt do much to solve the problem then, which means theyre not doing anything for you right now. Worry/Nervousness With all the fear and anxiety that comes with increasing numbers of layoffs, its no wonder that many people worry about their jobs. But this worry can easily get out of control, if you allow it, and this can impact not only your mental health, but also your productivity, and your willingness to take risks at work. Try these tips to deal with worrying: Dont surround yourself with worry and anxiety because worry leads to more worrying Try deep-breathing exercises; it helps to slow your breathing and heart rate Focus on how to improve the situation, don’t just sit there and worry. If you find out that worries are churning around inside your mind, write them down in a worry log or note book. Anger/Aggravation Out-of-control anger is perhaps the most destructive emotion that people experience in the workplace. Its also the emotion that most of us dont handle very well. If you have trouble managing your temper at work, then learning to control it is one of the best things you can do if you want to keep your job. Try these suggestions to control your anger: Watch for early signs of anger – Only you know the danger signs when anger is building, so learn to recognize them when they begin. Stopping your anger early is key. Remember, you can choose how you react in a situation. Just because your first instinct is to become angry doesnt mean its the correct response. If you start to get angry, stop what youre doing – Close your eyes, and practice the deep-breathing exercise we described earlier. This interrupts your angry thoughts, and it helps put you back on a more positive path. Picture yourself when youre angry – If you imagine how you look and behave while youre angry, it gives you some perspective on the situation. For instance, if youre about to shout at your co-worker, imagine how you would look. Is your face red? Are you waving your arms around? Would you want to work with someone like that? Probably not.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 10:01:00 +0000
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