How to Deal with Negative Emotions at Work

We seem to really enjoy complaining about work. We stand around the water cooler, confide in our friends, and even tell our spouses horror stories about our work.
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But listing all the things that made us unhappy in one day doesn’t help us enjoy our work day more tomorrow. A better strategy is to respond to the negative feelings we experience.
When anger, doubt, or depression arise at work, we can learn to manage these feelings. Here are three Emotion regulation strategies that you can use – and how you can put them into practice for a happier professional life.

There are negative emotions. Deleting or ignoring them does more harm than good, although we may be tempted to do so.
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Instead, Try to recognize your feelings and give them a seat at the table. Maybe you feel bad because your boss is playing favorites – and you’re not the favorite. Or maybe you’re frustrated because your teammates are always late. It is normal to feel these negative emotions. You don’t need to judge yourself.

To learn how to practice acceptance in the workplace, start at home by writing a list of things you can and cannot control. First, focus on the things you can’t control. Let whatever feelings you have come to the surface. Work on accepting these emotions and yourself for who you are by saying things like, “I’m angry that I didn’t get promoted, but that’s okay. I have the right to be angry. Experience these emotions, but don’t hold them in or dwell on their causes. Just let them disappear at their own pace.

A word of warning: it may be better to change your situation if you are able to do so rather than put up with an abusive boss or unhealthy work environment. Use this list of things you can control to take action.

We all experience unpleasant situations, especially at work. You might find yourself ruminating about a meeting that went poorly, a colleague who insulted you, or a lack of recognition for a project you put your whole heart into. But the longer you feel bad, the stronger that bad feeling becomes.
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To calm these negative emotions, Mentally remove yourself from the situation is a useful tip. Research suggests that a more distant third-party perspective can reduce the intensity of negative emotions you feel. To try it, imagine that you are a fly on the wall and observe your situation. How do you see the situation? What are the two people like – you and the other person? As you develop a broader perspective, you will often find that the situation is not as bad as you thought.

A warning: be careful not to mentally remove yourself from the situation. There are many benefits to staying fully present at work.

Find the positive in negative situations is particularly useful Emotion regulation Strategy when something happens at work that you consider undesirable.

To change your perspective, learn to take a break from something negative and think or write at least something positive. For example, have you received critical feedback on a recent presentation or report you wrote? Do you find this information useful for yourself? career Growth – a chance to learn how to do better next time? The more you challenge yourself to find the positives, the easier it will be for your brain to notice them on its own.
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Originally published by The science center for the common good.