Mastering Workplace Emotions

Turning Feelings into Fuel for Success

Hey there, imagine this:

• Your co-worker or employee doesn’t follow through on what you had agreed upon, leaving you feeling frustrated.

• Your team members steal your ideas and present them without giving you credit. Not wanting to blame them, you keep quiet, which makes you feel helpless and resentful.

• Your colleague never lets you finish your thoughts in meetings, constantly interrupting you.

Sounds familiar?

These experiences stir up emotions of anger, frustration, and resentment, especially when they happen on a regular base.

This is the reality of daily work life for many of us. We often struggle with emotions at work and don’t know how to manage them in a way that doesn’t interfere with our professional and personal lives.

As professionals in an industry that often upholds the idea of the rational, unemotional employee, we are discouraged from expressing emotions in work teams. This creates a gap between the idealized, calm, rational workplace and the reality of our emotional experiences at work.

It’s a myth that our workplaces are emotion-free zones. In truth, the workplace is just as emotional as any other part of our lives. How could it be any different? We don’t turn into robots once we enter our workplace. However, the way we deal with our emotions at work can vary greatly.

In this article, I aim to explore emotions in the workplace. What are emotions, how do they manifest, how do we naturally deal with them at work, and how can we harness them to our benefit? We all strive to appear professional, so how do we manage these distracting emotions? Let’s delve into these questions and more, providing insights and practical advice on navigating emotions at work.

What is an emotion?

Feelings, or emotions, start in the brain and manifest as vibrations we experience in the body. They are triggered by our interpretation of an external circumstance or an internal thought or belief. These bodily reactions can include an increased heart rate, sweaty palms, or flushing in the face.

We tend to believe that emotions are irrational. However, studies have shown that we actually need emotions in order to behave rationally. People with impaired emotional systems struggle to make clear, rational decisions.

When do emotions become a problem at work?

As mentioned earlier, feelings are caused by the thoughts we have about something. This process is unstoppable. We have a multitude of thoughts, influenced by our upbringing, society, and culture.

Importantly, our feelings drive every action we take. Feelings work as our motivators, and they are the reason why we do or don't do anything and everything. Everything we desire in life, every result we seek, is driven by a feeling we believe it will give us.

Therefore, it's beneficial to comprehend the feelings we experience and address the ones we actually have. However, most of us need to learn how to feel, as media, business and social conditioning, often teach us to escape emotions.

I've had clients who suppressed their emotions because they didn't want to be perceived as unprofessional. Their goal was to work professionally, but they suppressed their emotions, only to find themselves complaining about a co-worker, being distracted when they wanted to focus, and losing trust in their own competence. This outcome is the opposite of working professionally.

Let's examine what it means and causes when we ignore our feelings and try to play it cool. Usually, it looks like this:

There are three main things we tend to do with uncomfortable emotions.

(1) Resisting Emotions:

First, we tend to resist emotions. Resisting emotions creates more tension and perpetuates the emotion, making it even worse.

(2) Reacting to Emotions:

Reacting is another way of creating an even larger problem with emotions. People often mistake reacting for feeling their emotions. Yelling, screaming, or crying is not the same as feeling the emotion. Reacting is an unmanaged, unplanned spontaneous action that usually does more harm than good. For example, a yelling boss is a huge distraction that doesn’t motivate long-term and may create fear and disgust.

(3) Avoiding Emotions:

And last Avoiding emotions involves compensating or avoiding situations or people. Common ways people avoid emotions include overeating, overdrinking, overworking, or developing other health issues that keep them home.

Emotions at work become problematic when we don't manage them. Pretending there are no emotions or going against our emotions by resisting, avoiding, or reacting leads to conflicts, damages relationships, and causes health issues. These behaviors hinder our ability to thrive at work, focus, find joy, and foster creativity and innovation in the workplace.

To effectively manage these challenging emotions, we must first accept that our feelings are essential.

Emotions are the easiest way to understand what is going on. Emotions are indicators that help us understand what is happening within ourselves and others. When we learn to process emotions without acting impulsively, we gain a powerful tool for personal and professional growth.

There's no need to resist, avoid, or react to your emotions. There's no need to play small or pretend to be someone you're not. Such behaviors create a destructive, unhealthy environment that prevents thriving as an employee, leader, or company.

If you want to break free from feeling stuck, overwhelmed, belittled, or confused, learn to manage your emotions. Embrace your feelings and let them work for you, not against you.

To help you achieve this quickly, I have prepared a three-step process that teaches you how to manage your emotions and turn friction and interpersonal challenges into benefits, so you can reclaim your joy at work.

Join the Global Minds Hub and get the 3 Step Instruction to process your emotions and much more. Click here to join.

By the way, when you give a presentation, your audience wants to be entertained, so you should be enthusiastic, happy, kind, and funny. As a receptionist, you are expected to be empathetic and kind. As a lawyer, you are expected to be sharp and even aggressive. We underestimate the role of emotions and are not educated in dealing with them effectively.

Positive emotions might seem easier to handle, but even excessive fun or happiness can be inappropriate at times.

I am confident you can figure this out, and I am very happy to support you in learning how to turn your emotions into power.

Join us at the Global Minds Hub, a growing community packed with valuable resources designed to support you in your work and relationships. Click here.

Or book a free assessment call with me, where we can precisely determine the emotions that are getting in your way and how to deal with them. Click herer for a free assessment call.

See you soon, and take care

Maritta