Strategies to regulate your moods and Emotions at the workplace

Humans are emotional creatures, but the same human suggests others not to be emotional, especially when coming to the workplace. Moods and emotions play a powerful role in every area of the workplace. Handling moods and emotions particularly negative emotions at work are considered and seen as a measure of Professionalism.

When you want to know the strategies to regulate your mood swings and emotions at work, first you should understand moods, it helps you to apply and implement the strategies to put into practice.

Understanding Moods:

Each mood has a different pattern of thinking and behaving and a set of emotions associated with it. Moods may be good or bad, high or low, happy or frustrated, etc… Moods tell you about people, even by the way they walk, and you can able to tell that they are excited or they are in a low mood.

The easiest and simplest example, I will tell,

If you want something from your Dad, you will wait for the right time to ask, and remember the right time mainly depends upon your Dad’s mood. Isn’t it?

Similarly, if you want to confess something to your mom, you never open up when your mom is upset. Right?

Likewise, you will wait for the perfect moment to ask about your salary hike to your Boss. That perfect moment is when your boss is happy. What do you say?!!

So, Mood means how you feel!! How he/she feels. It is of short duration, unlike emotions. The mood reflects on your energy and well-being and determines satisfaction and enjoyment.

Is mood change?

Moods may change due to your diet, troubled sleeping schedule, menstrual cycle, stress, weather, and any substances.

Do you aware, “Mood is transmissible?!”

Indeed, your mood is highly contagious and easily communicable. If you are pessimistic or in a low mood, people around you will be, too even if it is not their natural disposition. Similarly, your mood may change based on the environment or the people around you.

This is because your moods are transmitted at the physiological level through an open-loop system that involves sleep rhythms, cardiovascular functions, hormone levels, and immune functions. Your body responds involuntarily to these signals and these distinct physical changes eventually combine in an all-encompassing emotional experience either good or bad. {Harvard Review}

A simple example, I could quote you, about how you enjoy the happy scenes in movies and how you worry when the hero gets hurt in the movie. Even if you know that that is not real you are deeply, unconsciously connected to it at the emotional level. Just think about the surroundings, now!!

Strategies to regulate moods at work:

When you understand what is mood, and how it travels, you will know how to regulate it. There are some habits that help you calm and composed in every circumstance. Having good eating patterns, a balanced diet, sound sleep, regular exercise, and practicing mindfulness and meditation are powerful habits that change your life completely. Apart from this, there are some strategies that assist you in regulating your mood at the workplace and enrich your overall well-being.

Know who you are:

Cultivating self-awareness is not that easy because we often mask what is toughest for us to handle with emotions that feel safer. {Read it again}. You have to be a keen observer and should be honest about your actions, thoughts, feeling, and behaviors and how it affects those people around you.

Audit yourself briefly at the end of each day, like

What positive and negative emotions did you have today?
Did you feel effective and productive today, if so when and why?
When a task intimidates you, do you take over or hang back?
When you feel angry, what will you do? Do you react or respond?

Emotional steadiness:

If you are self-aware, you know when you feel low or bad or angry or frustrated, and you can use this self-knowledge to manage your moods and emotions. Remember, no matter how conscientiously you work to manage your emotions, you probably have some hot buttons you are particularly sensitive to in other people. So

Acknowledge what’s happening as it is, and don’t let your judgment or past control you
Take yourself away from the story, that is be a listener like you are watching this particular situation happen to someone else and think about what would be the best thing you can do for them.
Focus on your physical sensations, your emotions signal you through some physical sensations like sweating, palpitation, and heaviness of the head. This gives a cue about your emotional status. During that time, take a deep breath, have some water or if you are in a meeting, hold a pen or any object for a few seconds. Allow yourself to bring back at the moment.
Use the STOP method

S- Stop
T- Take a deep breath
O- Observe what happens around you and what happens inside you
P- Proceed

Do Compartmentalization:

You know that!! In Every home, you used to hear these words, “Leave your job stress outside the home. How you leave your slippers outside while entering the home, likewise leave your job tension outside.

If you are stressed at home, don’t stay in the office, it will ruin everyone’s mood. Additionally, there is no use to bring it there. Similarly, office tension to home. Just practice Mindfulness, it helps you to live in the moment.

Managing other’s emotions at the workplace:

As I already mentioned, the mood is highly contagious, so don’t let others’ moods and emotions spoil yours. Many times we use to mimic the person who is around us and sometimes those are the main triggers for our emotions. At the workplace, while you can’t control how they feel or even how they should choose to act and react, you can steer them into a more productive path by helping them to address their emotions, by active listening and offering an empathetic note based on the situation

Practice Assertiveness:

Assertiveness means your ability to express your beliefs, thoughts, and feelings and defend your own rights in a constructive way, neither passive nor aggressive. It’s all about how you made your opponent feel. How to practice assertiveness, will explain to you in upcoming articles.

Building Social awareness at the workplace:

If you are a manager, things will go according to your plan if you practice and implement strategically. These are a few suggestions that help you to develop an emotional culture at the workplace

Set ground rules and stick to it
Have regular break time
Practice acceptance
Be supportive by being flexible and adaptive
Be optimistic when things get tough, and focus on what you can control.
Avoid blaming, take responsibility
Don’t make decisions when you are emotionally disturbed, because emotions like anger and frustration cloud your judgment.
Validate others, and respect individuality and perspectives while making decisions.
Be in the team, and involve everyone while making decisions.
Apologize if it is appropriate.

Remember, a positive mood will influence the motivation and productivity of each member at your workplace.

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