Presentation on

Emotion & Stress at

Work
In your personal life, your reaction to stressful situations like these might be to start shouting, or to go
hide in a corner and feel sorry for yourself for a while. But at work, these types of behavior could
seriously harm your professional reputation, as well as your productivity. Stressful situations are all too
common in a workplace that's facing budget cuts, staff layoffs, and department changes. It may become
harder and harder to manage your emotions under these circumstances, but it's even more important for
you to do so. After all, if management is forced into making more layoffs, they may choose to keep those
who can handle their emotions, and work well under pressure. As the above quote shows, no matter what
the situation is, you're always free to choose how you react to it. So, how can you become better at
handling your emotions, and "choosing" your reactions to bad situations? In this article, we look at the
most common negative emotions experienced in the workplace - and how you can manage them
productively.
 Common Negative Emotions at Work In 1997, Bond University professor of
management Cynthia Fisher conducted a study called "Emotions at Work: What
Do People Feel, and How Should We Measure It?" According to Fisher's
research, the most common negative emotions experienced in the workplace
are as follows: • Frustration/irritation. • Worry/nervousness. Anger/aggravation.
Disappointment/unhappiness.
Frustration usually occurs when you feel stuck or trapped, or
unable to move forward in some way. It could be caused by a
colleague blocking your favorite project, a boss who is too
disorganized to get to your meeting on time, or simply being on
hold on the phone for a long time. Whatever the reason, it's
important to deal with feelings of frustration quickly, because
they can easily lead to more negative emotions, such as anger.
 Here are some suggestions for dealing with frustration: • Stop and evaluate- One of the
best things you can do is mentally stop yourself, and look at the situation. Ask yourself why
you feel frustrated. Write it down, and be specific. Then think of one positive thing about
your current situation. For instance, if your boss is late for your meeting, then you have
more time to prepare. Or, you could use this time to relax a little. • Find something positive
about the situation- Thinking about a positive aspect of your situation often makes you look
at things in a different way. This small change in your thinking can improve your mood.
When it's people who are causing your frustration, they're probably not doing it deliberately
to annoy you. And if it's a thing that's bothering you - well, it's certainly not personal! Don't
get mad, just move on. • Remember the last time you felt frustrated- The last time you were
frustrated about something, the situation probably worked out just fine after a while, right?
Your feelings of frustration or irritation probably didn't do much to solve the problem then,
which means they're not doing anything for you right now.
 Worry/Nervousness With all the fear and anxiety that comes with increasing numbers of layoffs, it's no
wonder that many people worry about their jobs. But this worry can easily get out of control, if you allow it,
and this can impact not only your mental health, but also your productivity, and your willingness to take risks
at work. Try these tips to deal with worrying: • Don't surround yourself with worry and anxiety- For example, if
co-workers gather in the break room to gossip and talk about job cuts, then don't go there and worry with
everyone else. Worrying tends to lead to more worrying, and that isn't good for anyone. • Try deep-breathing
exercises- This helps slow your breathing and your heart rate. Breathe in slowly for five seconds, then breathe
out slowly for five seconds. Focus on your breathing, and nothing else. Do this at least five times. For more
on this, read our article on Physical Relaxation Techniques. • Focus on how to improve the situation- If you
fear being laid off, and you sit there and worry, that probably won't help you keep your job. Instead, why not
brainstorm ways to bring in more business, and show how valuable you are to the company? • Write down
your worries in a worry log- If you find that worries are churning around inside your mind, write them down in
a notebook or "worry log," and then schedule a time to deal with them. Before that time, you can forget about
these worries, knowing that you'll deal with them. When it comes to the time you've scheduled, conduct a
proper risk analysis around these things, and take whatever actions are necessary to mitigate any risks.
 Anger/Aggravation Out-of-control anger is perhaps the most destructive emotion that people
experience in the workplace. It's also the emotion that most of us don't handle very well. If you
have trouble managing your temper at work, then learning to control it is one of the best things
you can do if you want to keep your job. Try these suggestions to control your anger: • Watch for
early signs of anger- Only you know the danger signs when anger is building, so learn to
recognize them when they begin. Stopping your anger early is key. Remember, you can choose
how you react in a situation. Just because your first instinct is to become angry doesn't mean it's
the correct response. If you start to get angry, stop what you're doing- Close your eyes, and
practice the deep-breathing exercise we described earlier. This interrupts your angry thoughts,
and it helps put you back on a more positive path. • Picture yourself when you're angry- If you
imagine how you look and behave while you're angry, it gives you some perspective on the
situation. For instance, if you're about to shout at your co-worker, imagine how you would look. Is
your face red? Are you waving your arms around? Would you want to work with someone like
that? Probably not.
 Disappointment/Unhappiness Dealing with disappointment or unhappiness at work can be difficult. Of
all the emotions you might feel at work, these are the most likely to impact your productivity. If you've
just suffered a major disappointment, your energy will probably be low, you might be afraid to take
another risk, and all of that may hold you back from achieving. Here are some proactive steps you can
take to cope with disappointment and unhappiness: Look at your mindset- Take a moment to realize
that things won't always go your way. If they did, life would be a straight road instead of one with hills
and valleys, ups and downs, right? And it's the hills and valleys that often make life so interesting. •
Adjust your goal- If you're disappointed that you didn't reach a goal, that doesn't mean the goal is no
longer reachable. Keep the goal, but make a small change - for example, delay the deadline. Our Back
On Track article provides practical steps for recovering from a major career setback. • Record your
thoughts- Write down exactly what is making you unhappy. Is it a co-worker? Is it your job? • Do you
have too much to do? Once you identify the problem, start brainstorming ways to solve it or work
around it. Remember, you always have the power to change your situation. Smile!- Strange as it may
sound, forcing a smile - or even a grimace - onto your face can often make you feel happy (this is one
of the strange ways in which we humans are "wired.") Try it - you may be surprised!