written by
Dr. Damodar Rai

5 Tips to Manage Your Emotions at Workplace

Learning & Development Emotional Culture Personal Effectiveness Change Management 3 min read

Managing your emotions at work is a very vital issue. It must be addressed appropriately.

Human beings are emotional creatures. It is not only difficult but impossible that we don’t undergo emotional stress or strains in our day to day life. However, managing our emotions at workplace calls for a sustained strategy. Emotional out bursts at work are never liked by anybody including the bosses, peers and subordinates.

On the other hand, researchers have opined that hiding and or concealing your emotions at work place is not a conducive situation. It has been found out that employees are engaged, when they feel comfortable in showing their true emotions at work. This particular aspect holds good for all levels of any organisation. Further encouraging emotional transparency at all levels may unlock engagement. Also, employees are less engaged in environment, where negative emotions run wild.

Keeping the above in view, here are given 5 tips to manage your emotions at workplace.

1.Keep yourself engaged & have a professional, positive, optimistic attitude to manage emotions at work

There are people, who never get affected by negative emotions, even if it is prevailing in the organisation or shown by some of their peers. This is done by keeping themselves engaged and adopting a professional and optimistic traits of behaviour. Highly engaged employees may quickly forget about, overlook, and often not retain these emotions as negative, when asked about them.

2. Analyse a situation objectively

If a particular worry or anxiety is getting on you, analyse the situation objectively. Few things are in your hand, while others are governed by external factors, beyond your control. Try to improve your personal weaknesses and strengthen the good traits in you.

Challenging the negative thought at its budding stage itself, and using the situation for self-motivation, and going ahead, are the best options.

3.Stepping away from anger

Manage emotions at work- do yoga to keep yourself calm and composed

If a certain situation is making you angry, take a deep breath, drink a glass of water, try to maintain your calm, and if possible try to step away from the situation in some pretext or the other.

Going outside for few minutes, taking a walk during the difficult situation may be another solution.

Some other options are

  • Doing yoga in work-space
  • Closing eyes and resorting to mediation for some time
  • Playing games during lunch time

4.Adapt to workplace culture

Manage emotions at workplace-  have a clean and neat desk
Photographer: Nick Morrison | Source: Unsplash

Emotional environments of different organisations vary a lot with one another. While a particular work-environment may suit you, may be, a different one may seem uncomfortable to you. If a particular work-environment is breaking your nerves, you should look for another job. But if you don’t have any other job in hand, the best option is to adopt the workplace culture.

However, it must be noted here that suppressing your emotions and bottling them up will most likely lead to negative feelings about your life and work in the long run.

Some tips given here, may be useful

  • Tackle your emotions, don’t suppress them
  • Try to show that you are working towards happiness and betterment
  • Ignore trifling matters
  • Create a relaxing personal space at work viz decorate your work desk, keep it orderly, clean and tidy.

5. Maintain a work-life balance

It is always a better proposition not to carry work home. However, in practical life, it is becoming difficult. In modern day, people are forced to carry work home. In such a situation, you should allocate a particular fixed time only of your total home-time for office work . In rest of the home-time, spending quality time with family, playing with children and relaxing must be resorted to.

Taking care of personal health is another important pre-requisite. This may be done by

  • Regular exercise, yoga and resorting to personal hygiene.
  • Take at least 8 hours of sleep daily
  • Limit junk, ready to eat packet foods, alcohol and other beverages
  • Resort to regular health check ups
  • Get psychiatric advises if a need arises

It has been mentioned in the beginning that emotions are integral part of human beings. If emotions are taking toll on you, share your feeling with friends, colleagues, well-wishers, family members. Sharing your grief and frustration is always better than suppressing them.

One very good way suggested by researchers is writing your experiences in a diary. Articles may also be written in journals illustrating how an emotional obstacle was converted into victory.

For holding workshops, corporate trainings, on “Emotions at work place”, you may contact us

support@rippleslearning.com

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www.rippleslearning.com

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