It is very common, especially at workplaces, to find your colleague slamming the door and getting out of the boss’ room or yelling at co-workers and uttering words that hurt the feelings and sentiments of others. These are the outward manifestations of pent-up feelings and emotions that one have in their mind, which had reached an extreme level and had to be let out. We often encounter situations in our lives when we lose control of ourselves and burst out. While it is said that occasional outbursts are good instead of piling up our emotions for a long time, it also has its adverse effects, especially, in offices and at workplaces.
Certain Circumstances at Workplace When You Lose Your Calm:
- You have been criticised for your performance.
- You have been insulted for your management or work style.
- You department has been criticised.
- You juniors act smart with you.
- Stress and work pressure.
- Personal frustrations.
- Job insecurity.
- Lack of support at work.
- Unable to fit into a team or department you prefer.
- Attitude issues with few fellow workers.
- All such situations, at times, lead to a rude reaction or an angry outburst.
How to Handle Emotions in Office?
Preventing negative reactions is in your own hands. Don’t let your emotions control you. Some effective tips to quick cooling down are as follows:
- Get away from the situation. Do not react in anger. Get away from that area on the pretext of attending a phone call or any other reason and take a walk outside. Give yourself some time to calm and cool down to control your emotion.
- Clarify before reacting. At times you react unnecessarily, just because you had heard someone saying something against you, that too, from a third person. So it is very essential that you clarify and know the actual situation before reacting or becoming defensive.
- Slowly count till 10. This is one of the best ways to control your temper. The moment you feel that you are going to flare up, count till 10. You can also opt for counting backwards from 10 to 1. This also helps a lot.
- Deep breathing. It is also said that when you take deep breaths, it helps to calm down.
Preventive Measures for Emotional Outbursts at Work
- Find out the cause of the situations, which led you to flare up. Be cautious of the situations where you generally lose your temper. For instance, while discussing an important official matter or delivering a presentation, you do not like interruptions. Plan in a positive way how you can handle such a situation before starting the presentation so that it does not destroy your professional image. Learn how to deal with it without losing your temper.
- Dedicate yourself some time to relax and introspect. Make full use of weekends and get into the habit of doing yoga and meditation.
- Try a change of department or place. It really works.
- Try to build your own support system at work.
- Improve your soft skills and build a rapport with people you are comfortable at office.
- If you have issues with your boss, communicate with him.
- Think before you speak. Carefully choose your words. There are many who can be very diplomatic at work and get his message heard in the most professional and dignified manner.
- Don’t work long hours. Time management is very essential.
Some Handy Tips
- Talk to someone. It is better to confide in someone close to you, in or outside the office. It could be your spouse or your friend.
- Fight fair at the right time and right place.
- Be willing to forgive and forget.
Keeping a control on your emotions while at work plays an important role in achieving healthier relations with peers and bringing professional growth.
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