How to Take Control of Your Emotions at Work

Work is one of the significant drivers of stress and anxiety for many of us. Sometimes, the work gets too much, and you feel at your wits’ end with it.

While it is ok to vent your frustrations out when it gets too much, you can get in trouble if you vent out in the wrong place. If you keep it all in, your negative emotions can affect your relationships with others and your work performance.

Fortunately, there is a healthier way to get your negative emotions under control, even if you are at work. Try these tips when you feel negativity and stress at any given time during your work schedule:

Take An Objective Look At The Situation

When you worry about your job performance or your job in general, it is not difficult to feel anxious, especially if you don’t see any signs that you did well or not. Before you worry too much, look at the situation and see what things you can change to improve your work or actions.

For example, if you are worried about your job position, think about your company’s current leadership and if there are any changes. New leadership can change how companies assess each employee, and with this in mind, you can then think of ways to improve your work performance and how you can help the new leadership achieve its goals.

Use The Experience As A Motivation

If you feel frustrated and stressed out, turn it around by using the feeling as a driving force to improve yourself. No matter what issue is causing you to get frustrated or stressed, focus your attention and energy on being resilient and concentrate on yourself.

Changing yourself will not be easy, and you may make mistakes. When you do make these mistakes, don’t be too hard on yourself and focus on the good things to cheer you up.

Step Away From The Event Or Interaction

If you are angry about an interaction or an event before you, it is best to avoid confrontation and outbursts by leaving the scene.

Excuse yourself and go to a quiet spot where you can reflect and calm down. You should also schedule days off after a busy work month to decompress and recover.

Create A Relaxing Workspace

Every work environment is different and if you are given a space for yourself, try to make it more relaxing so you can focus on your work. You can decorate it with the things you love and things that make you happy.

If you have a noisy workspace, invest in noise-cancelling headphones so you won’t be distracted by your work or get stressed by your colleagues.

Be Respectful And Assertive

There will always be that one colleague or superior that will earn your dislike. However, at work, you need to be professional and work with these people even if you don’t like them.

A great way to deal with that dislike is by being respectful no matter how rude they can be and if you need to get them to work, show that you will not stand being treated harshly and leave.

Leave Your Work At The Office

A great way to take control of your emotions at work is by leaving work at work. Don’t bring any work documents home; resist the urge to check your work phone or email. Use the time to be with your family and friends, and give yourself time to relax and recover.

Get Emotional Support If You Need It

Don’t be afraid to seek emotional support from a professional or your family and friends if it gets too much.

By speaking out, you are giving yourself the chance to release those negative emotions and clear your mind. Counsellors, in particular, can help you find ways to cope with your feelings and handle any difficult situation at work.

It can be challenging to deal with one’s emotions because you never know when they will hit that breaking point where you can’t control them anymore. However, take the necessary steps to learn more about your emotions and act immediately to mitigate them. You will be able to get back your bearings and handle the situation without causing panic in the workplace.

Feeling overwhelm at work? Here is how to get back on top:
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9 Comments Add yours

Keith says:

September 5, 2022 at 8:00 pm

Kally, this is a topic where women are poorly treated in the office. Men are allowed to get emotional more than women, as they may be defined as passionate, while women get defined as emotional. It is totally unfair, but sadly it happens. The euphemism I heard recently in two movies is when a man will say “Don’t be overly dramatic.” What to do about it? Be as calm and diplomatic as you possibly can when offering push back. As a parent, if you want your kids to hear you better, whisper, meaning don’t yell. If you lower your voice it lowers their anxiety.

One of the things I detest is when I see men (usually) being smug toward others, especially women, to drown out dissenting opinion. It does not make the person right, it just means they are being smug. You see this on talk show panels to bully dissenters. So, pushing back on the smug actor requires a deft skill, especially with people who are used to acquiescing. One of the duties of a meeting chair is to make sure voices are heard, so one way is to garner that person’s support to get your opinion heard.

Keith

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Kally says:

September 11, 2022 at 11:41 pm

Hey Keith, great sharing! In many Asian countries if a man or woman shed tears anywhere, they will be seen as weak, not passionate. To show passionate, is to hone your craft by spending many many hours at work.

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C.A. Post says:

September 6, 2022 at 1:16 am

Of course, the best way to get one’s emotions under control at work during stressful times is to learn how to control one’s emotions in every situation, whether at work, home, social meetings. etc.. And the best way to do that is to submit them to our Creator, and like the apostle Paul, learn how to deal with life’s (and a job’s) ups and downs.
Near the end of his life, Paul wrote, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” Philippians 4:11.
In fact, the entire 4th chapter of this short letter is one of the best treatises ever written on mental health and how to achieve it, keeping in mind its lessons are based on the previous three chapters. It takes an average reader about 10 minutes to read the entire “book” of Philippians in their “heart language.”
And for a careful reader looking for detailed meaning, it may take 30-60 minutes, but the study of this short book has been written about for almost 2000 years with continually new insights into its advice about living at peace in every circumstance.
❤️& 🙏, c.a.

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