Humans have emotional responses to events in our daily lives, but these responses are not always what we would like. For this reason, knowing how to handle stress in certain especially tense situations (such as work, which is usually stressful and this makes it prone to provoke stronger emotional responses) is of vital importance .
Although it may seem too difficult at first, we can all develop the emotional intelligence necessary to be aware of situations that generate high stress, and then use this awareness to generate an appropriate response . In this article you will find three ways to start managing your emotions in high stress situations.
How to manage your emotions in stressful situations
1. Don't Fight Emotion – Accept and Manage It
It is important to accept that sooner or later we will get irritated, annoyed or angry with someone . It is not something that we can avoid because we live in society, so it is best to be prepared to give an appropriate response.
Sometimes the level of irritation is so great that you can feel a change in your brain chemistry. This feeling is real. The amygdala, the emotional epicenter of the brain, responds to perceived threats before the cerebral cortex has processed them. This means that you can respond by reflex without knowing it , which will sometimes make us regret what we have said later.
Don't fight the reality that at some point this reflection may happen , but if you realize that it is happening, take a deep breath and try to be silent; And if you can't, ask for forgiveness immediately .
2. Identify your triggers
The main idea is not to eliminate triggers, but to become emotionally aware of them. Triggers are unique to each person , and it is highly unlikely that they can be eliminated or eliminated, but the response to them can be controlled .
Since they cannot be eliminated, you must learn to identify what your triggers are and be aware of how they shape your responses.
To do this, you must analyze yourself after a conversation full of high emotional responses and consider why you reacted the way you did.
Finally, give each trigger a name so that each time it is detected you can identify it and be aware of its presence before the reaction . This will help you manage stress in certain situations.
3. Don't act hot
The main problem we have when it comes to managing stress during an argument or tense episode is that we let emotion take over and we do not act with a cool head .
For example, when we receive bad news, we sometimes send toxic emails or texts without stopping to think about the consequences .
The ideal in these cases, whether in an in-person or virtual discussion, is not to act while emotion overwhelms us and wait for the feeling of tension to subside to answer or say what we think.
In the meantime, to relax and calm down, you can try mindfulness breathing or techniques , or just go for a walk.
conclusion
As human beings we have emotions and, at times, these emotions can make us regret doing or saying something. It can happen to anyone, so don't beat yourself up.
Observe and question why you did or said that. We are human and we can err, but next time do better.
References
- Koulopoulos, T. How to Manage Your Emotions in 1 Minute, in Any Situation. For Inc. [Revised April 2020].
