by Anishametra Saravanan
In our previous exploration of ‘Why Navigating Your Emotions at Work Matters,’ we delved into the profound impact of emotional intelligence in the professional realm. Building upon that insightful journey, let’s shift our focus to the empowering concept of how you can bring your whole self to work with these 5 steps.
1. Accept your emotions
The truth is, whether at home or work, it’s impossible to avoid emotions — they’ll always find a way of expressing themselves. And if we try to suppress them, that’s often when they show up in their most extreme forms, which can lead to toxic or self-sabotaging behaviours. In fact, studies show that we can damage our own wellbeing when we ignore our emotions and don’t try to understand them. Hence, it’s best to accept that our emotions are natural and they’re part of who we are.
2. Recognise instead of reacting
Sure, we might have positive emotions or negative emotions, but that doesn’t mean they’re good or bad. Emotions are simply signals that something is going on. So, what are your emotions telling you? How would you describe the emotions you’re feeling? Give them a label. When we recognise our emotions, we can do more than simply react to them.
3. You are not your emotions
Labelling our emotions also allows us to realise that we’re not defined by any one emotion we happen to be feeling at a specific moment in time. For instance, saying “I feel sad” is different than saying, “I am sad.”
When we allow ourselves to be defined by our emotions, we’re letting go of our ability to choose how to respond to those emotions. And even on our worst days, we can still make that choice. As author Viktor Frankl wrote, our most enduring human freedom is ‘to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.’
4. Look after your physical body
It goes without saying that our physical health is deeply connected to our emotional wellbeing. When we’re tired, sleep-deprived, and depleted, we’re less able to recognise our emotions and more likely to find ourselves as passengers on an emotional roller coaster.
A good night’s sleep and unplugging from work can prep you for tomorrow’s emotional challenges. Plus, when emotions run high, it’s good to get moving—physical activity not only sparks feel-good chemicals but it also shifts your focus from negativity.
5. Practice compassion—for yourself and others
We can be very hard on ourselves and much of the time that negative self-criticism is based on our emotions. We can’t always control how we feel but we can control any judgment we feel toward ourselves for having those feelings. When we’re angry, or frustrated, or sad, the first choice we have available to us is to simply say, “I feel frustrated and that’s… OK.”
Given the realities of our world these days, it’s important to be authentic and that includes allowing our emotional selves to be present wherever we are. And while that may seem daunting to many, I’d argue that living in a “How are you, really?” world now is a good thing as we learn to be more mindful and understanding of one another. We’ll all be better for it and our workplaces will be too.
Source:
Mindful
