You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you. – Brian Tracy
Do you ever think about attitude? How did you learn to control your attitude? A lot of your attitude is the result of how you learned to control your thoughts, feelings and behaviors in life’s difficult situations. In this article we will discuss some key concepts on learning to control your emotions in the workplace to help you maintain a positive attitude no matter what happens to you.
In a work environment it is important to control your emotions. You may be used to behaving or responding in a way that is inappropriate for your new workplace. Workplaces all have standards of behavior that employees are expected to follow and controlling emotions is one of them.
It can be difficult to control your emotions, especially when you feel strongly about a certain issue. But emotions can cause us to say things that we don’t mean, hurt someone’s feelings or offend someone, even if we don’t mean to do so. Failing to control your emotions in the workplace can have serious consequences, including losing your job.
Controlling your emotions is not only a good practice for your professional well-being, but also for your social life. If you can control your emotions you can avoid making people upset with unpredictable emotional reactions.
You don’t have to hold back all of your feelings, but simply practicing these five techniques will help you to control your emotions in the workplace:
1. Stay calm
2. Practice using good communication
3. Learn to make constructive suggestions
4. Think before you speak or act
5. Write down your emotions
Stay calm. Work can be very stressful at times. The pressure to do a good job, meet deadlines and challenging situations can result in an emotional overload. The key to handling these pressures successfully is to stay calm.
Staying calm in stressful situations is easier said than done. Practice these five tips and give yourself a better chance of keeping your cool and staying calm under pressure:
1. Figure out what’s causing your stress. Think about what exactly is making you feel overwhelmed or stressed. Once you figure out the source, you can find a way to deal with stress.
2. Practice breathing exercises. Taking deep breaths can help you to relax in stressful situations and it gives you a chance to think about how to appropriately respond. When you find yourself overwhelmed by something, stop and take a few deep breaths to help stay calm.
3. Count to ten. You may remember parents or teachers counting to ten after someone has tested their patience. It’s a good way to give yourself time to calm down instead of reacting immediately based purely on emotion.
4. Think about your options. You always have options or choices when deciding how to react to or deal with something. Of those options, one will usually stand out as the best option. Consider your options carefully and choose the one that you feel will best help you deal with your stress.
5. Respond appropriately. Once you have figured out the best way to deal with your stress, you can respond in a calm, appropriate or correct way.
Practice using good communication. Communication is the key to good working relationships. The most effective communication happens with words, not with emotions. When we fail to communicate, it leads to misunderstanding, confusion and stress. Communication is important when things are going smoothly, but it’s even more important when you’re faced with a stressful or difficult situation.
Communication is a two-way street. Good communication involves speaking clearly, directly and honestly to the person with whom you are communicating. Good communication also requires you to listen carefully to the person with whom you’re communicating. Practice expressing yourself with words and listening carefully in order to improve your communication skills.
Learn to make constructive suggestions. Although you can’t control the emotions of others, you can keep your conversations calm by making constructive or helpful suggestions. Rather than sharing emotional opinions, make an effort to control your emotions and be helpful. This will prevent the person you’re talking to from getting upset and will result in a calm conversation.
Think before you speak or act. Sometimes our emotions can take control of our actions and words. When this happens, we say things before we think about what we really want to say. This can result in misunderstandings, hurt feelings and arguments. Before you react emotionally, stop and think about what you want to say. Sometimes you’ll have to step away from the situation for a moment in order to collect your thoughts and calm down.
Write down your emotions. A healthy way to deal with your emotions at work is to put them into writing. If you feel very strongly about something, take a moment to write down your thoughts. Simply writing down your thoughts is a good way to deal with stress. Writing down your thoughts might be enough to resolve the stressful situation and move on. On the other hand, it could cause you to take it one step further and address the situation in a positive way with your supervisor. Either way, writing down your thoughts and emotions is a good way to think through your emotions and can prevent you from reacting inappropriately.
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