How to Control Your Emotions

Emotions are the most powerful and painful forces in human's life. Every person is driven by emotions on a daily basis, be it at work, in a relationship or some other area in life. Excessive worrying, anxiety and stress can effectively impact both your physical and mental health, but not if you're able to control your emotions. Emotions are what controls one's thoughts, actions, intentions and behavior, but when you respond to an emotion too quickly, you often end up regretting making that decision.

Over the years, strong emotions at work have earned a bad reputation and are now directly related to being unprofessional. Showing emotions in the workplace has turned out to be a career suicidal for many, so it should go without saying that anger, loudly speaking and frustration have no place at work. But unfortunately, they are a part of our human nature, so we can't just leave them aside and pick them up again whenever we need them. It's all about being able to recognize your emotions, controlling them, knowing your own moods and fears and recognizing when and why we get upset.

Negative emotions, such as rage, anger, sadness, envy, bitterness or hate, are easily triggered in stressful environments by all kinds of factors. But that's not the worst thing. These emotions grow at the speed of light, causing your mind to function on those self-destructive feelings and dominating your daily life. But as with many other aspects in our lives, the best response to your emotions is to think more rationally and develop a better emotional intelligence. Here are three important tips you must know in order to be able to control your own emotions at work, in your relationship and everywhere.

Learn How to Recognize Your Own Emotions

We all fool ourselves once in a while by saying things we don't mean. At work, many people are usually “very happy” for their coworkers' promotion, while in relationships, partners tell each other small lies on a daily basis, which over time become big. If you want to have control over your emotions, you must observe your own attitudes, common emotional responses and flaws and learn how to know when and what kind of emotional you're feeling. Label each of your emotions as angry, sad, jealous, bitter, greedy, etc. and you'll know exactly how you feel. Whenever you catch yourself feeling a strong emotion about something, ask yourself why.

Count to Three Before You React

The biggest problem these days is that people are very reactive to every little emotion they experience. But reacting immediately to an emotional trigger is a sure way of saying something that you'll regret later. When a coworker, your boss or your partner says something that to you seems nonsense, don't rush disproving them and letting them know your opinion. Before you respond to a trigger with an emotion, take a deep breath, count to three, find out how you really feel and then react. The calmer you become, the better control over your emotions you'll have.

Find Your Way to Let Negative Emotions Go

Once you learn how to recognize your emotions and avoid reacting on them right away, you need to find a healthy way to release them. It is difficult to get rid of all the negative emotions you're feeling, so more often we only suppress them deep within, which can have its own consequences. Meet a close friend you trust and tell them everything that happened and how you felt about it. Hearing a second opinion can help you develop your awareness. Also, you can keep a journal of your daily emotional experiences. Another good way of getting rid of negative emotions is to engage yourself in an aggressive physical activity, such as karate, martial arts or kickboxing. Meditation can also help you calm your mind and thoughts and boost your emotional intelligence.