Five Tips For Keeping Emotions In Check At Work

Your morning started out with your seven-year-old arguing with you because she wanted to wear her pajamas to school. You stuck to your guns, she got dressed.

You finally dropped her off at school, but she was still upset. As she jumped out of the car she told you she hates you.

You shook it off, continued on your way to work and of course got stuck in traffic. The idiot in front of you stops for no reason causing you to spill coffee on your expensive silk blouse; and you have a major

presentation due in thirty minutes.

And so it begins…

You run through the door to your office feeling exhausted before the day even begins. And when you think you can’t take another crisis in your morning, your co-worker walks in your door to remind you of a meeting you forgot. Before you know it, you snap at him for absolutely no reason.

Instead of apologizing (you know you’re wrong) you let the moment pass. Your emotions took control and it will be a struggle to regain command of your day.

Everything you do for the rest of the day will be tainted with this stress from the morning.

Emotional Outburst Can Destroy Your Career

Like it or not, as grownups we’re responsible for our behavior at work. And if we don’t learn to keep our emotions in check it will stop our career dead in its tracks.

It will also rob us of passion, fulfillment, and peace in our lives. Not what we signed up for…but it doesn’t have to be that way.

We can actually find our Zen at work.

Here are Five Tips to Help:

1. Understand the difference between stress and anger. Take an honest look at your situation and ask yourself – is it truly anger that you feel? Or, is it just daily stress it can be managed by exercise and meditation. But, if you are consistently feeling angry while at work, (real anger) perhaps you’re in the wrong career or position.
2. Make it a practice to spend the first ten minutes of your day preparing your mind for work. Even if it means coming in a few minutes early to have some quiet space and time before the rush of the day begins. It will allow you a little time to decompress. Allowing the day to start at a rapid pace while you are still feeling the stress of your morning can spell disaster.
3. Realize that achieving professional goals can help alleviate (or at least reduce) personal stress. If you’re stressed because of money, achieving professional goals will set you up for promotions. If you’re stressed about life balance, increased productivity at work will provide flexibility to your schedule.
4. Keep a daily journal of your emotions. Each time you begin to feel that surge of anger write it down. When you feel that heat begin to rush to your brain, observe what’s happening around you.  Journaling will allow you to see patterns. That’s how you begin to address them. Plus, as an added bonus, writing can be therapeutic. The simple act of writing feelings down can dis-empower them and may help you remain in control.
5. Understand your own personality. Take a Myer’s Briggs (or Strengths or Disc…) personality inventory and have it interpreted. This will help you understand the automatic responses to situations.  You will automatically respond to situations out of an unconscious preference. This unconscious conditioning is based on your personality. Understanding this will be helpful as you learn to manage these responses.

Keeping your emotions in check  at work will help you become a more valuable employee. It will help you become a more successful entrepreneur, salesperson, or coach. No matter what your field, it’s important to learn to respond instead of react.

Cynthia Corsetti is an Executive Coach and Speaker. If you’d like to learn more on how her C.A.R.E. to Engage system can help you create an engaged workforce in your organization, you can email her at: [email protected]

PS..I’m an open networker and I love to connect. Please join me over on LinkedIn and FB so we can take this journey together!