How To Deal With Emotional Dysregulation At Work
Learn To Calm The Storm
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Transform your emotional challenges into strengths with practical techniques, ensuring you thrive in both your career and personal life.Refine your communication skills by learning to harness your emotional intelligence with one of the UK's most acclaimed management training courses.
Why Choose This Training?
More Than Just A Course Of Lectures
What gets in the way of developing and holding on to new communication skills are old habits of thinking and speaking. Even if the advice is very good the reason why it rarely sticks are the mental habits people inevitably revert to, especially under pressure.
Unlearning those old habits and internalising a more effective and lasting approach to communication needs more than a short course of lectures on how to do it.
What Makes This Training Stand Out?
What makes this training stand out is the exceptional support through one-to-one coaching sessions and continuous feedback. Changing behaviour is not an easy task as old habits are hard to break.
With a 40-year track record we can help you cultivate practical skills, and build your confidence to so you can successfully navigate real-world challenges, ensuring lasting behavioural improvements.
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"What I love about this course is that I didn't just learn about the topic, this course is about ME. I'm confident I can reliably use my new skills, even when under pressure".
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Course Summary
Training Objectives
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions at work is more common than you might think. Studies show that a significant number of adults struggle with emotional dysregulation, affecting their professional life.
This training course offers practical tips and strategies to manage intense feelings and improve your work environment. You’ll gain insights that can change your workday for the better.
- Emotional dysregulation affects many adults, making it hard to stay calm at work. It can come from tough life events or mental health issues.
- In the workplace, emotional dysregulation causes problems like bad communication, strained relationships, and less work done.
- Support from bosses and changes in the workplace help people manage their emotions better. This includes things like flexible hours and quiet spaces.
- Knowing what makes your emotions go wild is important. Mindfulness and looking after yourself can also help you handle feelings at work.
- Talking to a professional might be needed for some folks. There are therapies and medicines that help with managing emotions too.
Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
You will learn a set of powerful emotional intelligence communication techniques so that you can manage difficult conversations, handle challenging situations, build relationships and set firm boundaries.
Transferable Skills
The goal of this training is to equip you with the tools you need to build strong, lasting relationships in your professional life, although because these skills are so transferable many clients report vast improvements in their personal relationships as well.
Develop Skills
This is a skills development rather than just a theoretical programme, so the emphasis throughout will be on you taking turn after turn, practising your skills, while receiving feedback and coaching about your effect on others.
Repeated Practice and Feedback
In your coaching sessions you will be helped to practise dealing with the kinds of situation you find challenging, again and again, until you are confident you can do it successfully.
Video Analysis
We'll combine practical, hands-on experience with video replay and analysis and discussion of the principles involved to help you gain both skills and understanding. Special attention is paid to your individual training needs, so you can practise your skills in real-life situations that you have to handle at work.
Sustained Change
That's why as well as your place in a small group, this training includes a generous amount of private and confidential one-to-one coaching sessions online, spread over several months, ensuring an exceptional level of support. This will ensure the changes you make are sustained over a longer period of time and any obstacles are overcome. Choose between online training available worldwide, or in-person face-to-face courses in the UK.
Course Dates and Price
For a list of upcoming course dates (for online coaching and face-to-face training), the locations of the next 3-day public courses in the UK and pricing Click here.
Free Initial Session
This initial coaching session serves as an introduction to the "Skills with People" course, allowing you to understand the course's relevance and effectiveness for your specific needs before committing to it.
Understanding Emotional Dysregulation
Emotional dysregulation can throw a spanner in the works, making it hard to keep your cool when things get tough. It's when emotions run wild, and suddenly, you're struggling to hold back tears or tamp down anger in situations that call for calm.
Definition and symptoms
Emotional dysregulation happens when someone finds it tough to control and manage intense emotions. This might lead to sudden angry outbursts, feeling sad for no clear reason, or reacting in ways that seem over the top for the situation.
It's not just about feeling too much; it's also struggling with bringing oneself back from those highs and lows. People may experience emotional pain intensely and more often than others.
Symptoms include quick mood changes, difficulty calming down after being upset, and trouble coping with stress in healthy ways. Some find themselves in a cycle of negative thoughts they can't break free from.
Others may avoid situations or people because they're scared of how they'll react emotionally. Handling these feelings can be really hard without the right strategies or support.
Causes of emotional dysregulation
After understanding what emotional dysregulation is and its symptoms, it's key to look into why it happens. Some people face tough events in life that leave a deep mark on them. These experiences can make managing emotions hard.
For instance, someone with a history of trauma might find themselves feeling very upset or angry without much warning.
Other reasons include mental health issues like anxiety or depression. Not being able to handle stress well can also lead to trouble regulating emotions. Sometimes, the way we saw adults manage their feelings when we were young plays a role too.
If they showed us unhealthy ways of dealing with anger or sadness, we might copy that without even realising it.
Related disorders
Emotional dysregulation can tie closely with several mental health conditions. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often has it as a key symptom, leading to intense emotional reactions and unstable relationships.
People with ADHD might also struggle, not just with focus but their emotions too. They may find it hard to keep their feelings in check, responding more strongly than others to small upsets or frustrations.
Other conditions like anxiety and depression can make emotional regulation harder. Anxiety can turn everyday worries into big fears, making someone's mood change quickly. Depression can make it hard to feel positive emotions or get excited about anything at all.
Coping skills that help manage emotions become crucial for anyone dealing with these disorders, helping them find a bit of calm in the storm of their feelings.
Impact of Emotional Dysregulation in the Workplace
Emotional dysregulation can turn the workplace into a tricky field to navigate. It messes with teamwork and makes hitting targets harder.
Difficulties in communication
At work, talking and listening can get hard when emotions run high. People with emotional dysregulation might find it tough to express what they feel in a calm way. They may react too strongly or not enough to feedback or problems.
This can confuse others who don't know how to respond.
Misunderstandings become common. A simple chat might turn into a stressful situation without clear reason – for both sides. Colleagues and managers often struggle to understand the real issue behind the strong reactions.
This lack of understanding makes working together harder, affecting teamwork and job happiness.
Strained relationships
Poor communication often leads to strained relationships among coworkers. Feelings get hurt, and misunderstandings grow. This makes it hard for people to work well together. They might start avoiding each other or arguing more.
Such tensions can harm the whole team's mood. Trust breaks down, making cooperation tough. Projects suffer because folks struggle to share ideas and find solutions together. It's like a knot that gets tighter the more you pull on it – difficult emotions make working as a team harder, affecting everyone's job satisfaction and productivity.
Decreased productivity and performance
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions can make it hard to focus. Tasks seem bigger, and energy drops. This leads to missed deadlines and lower work quality. Emotional dysregulation eats into the ability to manage time well.
It turns small tasks into mountains.
Work suffers when emotions overrun logic. Creativity stalls, making problem-solving harder. Communication with team members becomes strained, affecting the flow of ideas. Workplace harmony is vital for productivity; thus, emotional dysregulation disrupts this balance significantly.
Identifying Emotional Dysregulation in Employees
Spotting emotional dysregulation in employees is key -- watch for sudden mood changes or outbursts, it's the first step to offering support. Dive deeper to understand more!
Signs of emotional dysregulation at work
Some employees might show strong emotions unexpectedly. They may feel upset over small things that others find minor. This can lead to sudden tears, anger outbursts, or shutting down completely in the middle of work tasks.
Their emotional responses seem much bigger than the situation calls for.
Other signs include difficulty staying calm when faced with stress. These employees often struggle to handle feedback or criticism without feeling deeply hurt or frustrated. Their performance may dip as they spend more time dealing with their emotional reactions than focusing on work.
Next, we'll explore how rejection sensitivity plays into this dynamic.
Understanding rejection sensitivity and rejection sensitive dysphoria
Rejection sensitivity is a strong fear of being pushed away by others. It makes people worry a lot about not being accepted, feeling very upset even before anything happens. They might see rejection where it isn't and react strongly to small issues.
This can hurt their work life, making communication hard and teamwork tricky.
Rejection sensitive dysphoria goes a step further. It involves intense emotional pain from real or imagined rejection. Folks with this feel extremely sad or angry when they think they've been rejected or criticised, even if it's not true.
This can lead to avoiding chances where rejection could happen -- like asking for help at work -- which harms personal growth and relationships with colleagues.
The role of undiagnosed ADHD in emotional sensitivity
Moving from the topic of rejection sensitivity, it's vital to consider how undiagnosed ADHD plays a part in emotional sensitivity. People with ADHD often find handling their emotions challenging.
They might feel things more deeply than others do. This can make everyday life at work harder for them.
ADHD affects attention and self-control. This means people with it may struggle to manage how they react to their feelings. They could get upset easily or have sudden mood changes.
These reactions impact personal life and work relationships too. Understanding this link helps us see why support at work is so important for everyone's well-being.
Supportive Employers and Accommodations
Supportive employers and managers can make a huge difference by being kind and understanding. They can change the workplace to help everyone feel better, even those who find handling their feelings tough.
Creating a stigma-free and supportive workplace environment
Everyone deserves to feel safe and understood at work. A stigma-free workplace means people are not judged for their emotions or mental health struggles. Leaders play a key role here.
They can make sure everyone knows it's okay to talk about how they're feeling. This builds trust and shows that seeking help is seen as a strength, not a weakness.
Making changes like flexible working hours or quiet spaces can really help those with emotional dysregulation. It's also about educating the team on how to be supportive of each other.
Little things, like listening more and offering kind words, make a big difference. These steps improve morale, productivity, and overall well-being in the office.
Accommodations for employees with emotional dysregulation
Creating a stigma-free and supportive workplace is crucial. It sets the stage for offering specific accommodations for those with emotional dysregulation. These steps help employees manage their emotions better and improve overall productivity.
- Allow flexible working hours. Some people work best at different times. This flexibility can reduce stress and improve focus.
- Create quiet spaces. Noise can be overwhelming for some. A quiet zone helps them calm down and concentrate.
- Offer work from home options. For days when coming to the office feels too hard, working from home can be a great alternative.
- Set clear expectations and goals. Knowing exactly what’s needed helps reduce anxiety about work tasks.
- Provide regular feedback in a kind way. It helps people understand how they’re doing without feeling judged.
- Train managers in emotional intelligence. They will learn how to support their team members respectfully and effectively.
- Encourage breaks and mindfulness exercises during the day. Short pauses can decrease stress and help emotions stay in check.
- Make counselling services available through work health plans or employee assistance programmes (EAP). Access to professional help supports mental well-being.
- Offer workshops on emotion regulation skills like how to label emotions or practise deep breaths etc., which are handy tools for stressful situations.
Educating coworkers and managers
Teaching coworkers and managers about emotional dysregulation helps everyone. It makes the workplace kinder and more understanding. We show them how to spot the signs of someone struggling.
This includes knowing when someone feels sad or frustrated easily. They learn not just to see, but also how to react in a helpful way.
Managers get tips on providing support without making things worse. They find out about setting boundaries, using clear communication, and offering help like time off if needed. Coworkers learn empathy--how to listen well and not judge right away.
Together, they make work a better place for people dealing with tough emotions.
DIY Strategies for Managing Emotional Sensitivity at Work
There are simple ways to handle emotions at work. You can learn tricks to feel better and stay focused.
Identifying triggers and avoiding them
Knowing what sets off your emotional dysregulation is key. These triggers might be tight deadlines, too much noise, or difficult conversations. Once you recognise these triggers, try to stay away from them when possible.
For instance, if knowing you have back-to-back meetings all day makes you feel tense, spread them out or take short breaks in between for some fresh air.
Practising mindfulness can also help manage reactions to these triggers. Focus on the present moment and breathe deeply to maintain calmness. This way, you're better equipped to handle stress without feeling overwhelmed.
Now let’s explore how practising mindfulness and self-care further supports managing emotions at work.
Practising mindfulness and self-care
Practising mindfulness helps you stay calm and focused. It means paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations in the present moment. You can do this by deep breathing, meditating, or even walking slowly and noticing things around you.
Mindfulness reduces stress and improves your emotional self-regulation. This means you're better at handling what comes up at work without getting too upset.
Taking care of yourself is also key to managing emotions. Make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, and move your body regularly. Set time aside for activities that make you feel good - like reading a book or listening to music.
Self-care boosts your well-being and makes it easier to deal with negative emotions at work. By looking after yourself properly, you become more resilient and capable of navigating challenges that arise.
Setting boundaries and seeking support
After focusing on mindfulness and self-care, setting boundaries becomes crucial. It helps manage your own emotions and improves emotional intelligence. Be clear about what you can handle at work and what's too much.
Talk to your boss or a trusted colleague when tasks feel overwhelming. This step prevents burnout and keeps your mental health in check.
Seeking support means asking for help when you need it. Find someone at work who understands what you're going through, like a mentor or a mental health professional within the company.
They can offer coping strategies and advice on how to deal with tough situations. Outside of work, consider joining support groups where you can meet others facing similar challenges.
This way, you don't have to face emotional dysregulation alone.
Effective Ways to Communicate with Emotionally Dysregulated Employees
To help employees who struggle with their emotions, try listening carefully and working together to find solutions. It really makes a difference.
Active listening and validation
Active listening is key. It means really hearing someone and showing you understand. You nod, make eye contact, and maybe repeat back what they've said. This makes people feel seen and heard.
Validation goes a step further. It's about accepting their feelings as real and valid - no matter what those feelings are. Say things like "It makes sense you'd feel that way," or "I see why that upset you." This doesn't mean agreeing with everything they say or do.
But it does help folks feel supported.
Collaborative problem-solving
Following on from active listening and making someone feel understood, collaborative problem-solving comes into play. This approach involves working together to find solutions. It's like teaming up to tackle issues head-on, rather than one person calling all the shots.
You sit down, talk through what's going wrong, and brainstorm how to make things better.
In this process, everyone’s ideas are important. Think of it as a way to build bridges, not walls. You listen to each other’s thoughts and feelings with respect. Then you come up with a plan that helps everyone move forward positively.
It's about working as a unit to improve situations at work while boosting emotional intelligence along the way.
Providing reassurance and understanding
After tackling the issue together, it's crucial to make sure that the person feels reassured and understood. Show them you get how they're feeling by listening closely and nodding along.
It makes a world of difference. Tell them it's okay to feel upset or stressed at work sometimes. Everyone does.
Let them know you're there for support without judging. This creates trust and helps improve their emotional self-regulation over time. Encourage open talks about feelings and thoughts often, not just when things go wrong.
This way, they feel safer sharing what goes on inside their mind, helping you both handle any future ups and downs better.
Professional Help for Managing Emotional Dysregulation
Sometimes, we all need a bit of help to figure things out. When it comes to emotional dysregulation, talking to a professional can truly make a world of difference.
Training and one-to-one coaching
For many years we have specialised in teaching emotional intelligence skills to managers and professional. The training agenda aims to address two key skills in emotionally intelligence: comprehensive and empathetic listening and assertive speaking. These skills don't come naturally to most people due to ingrained habits and emotional reactions. Instead of simply instructing participants, the program focuses on unlearning ineffective habits and internalising more successful approaches through three stages of training. The goal is to provide participants with practical tools to handle difficult emotions and boost their confidence in using them effectively.
The training method is akin to that of a sports coach, focusing on practical, hands-on exercises with feedback. Participants use video replay to analyse their actions and their impact on others, supplemented by discussions on underlying principles. The emphasis is on skill development through repeated practice and feedback, particularly on giving constructive feedback effectively.
Therapy options e.g. CBT and DBT
CBT, or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, helps people understand their thoughts and emotions. It gives them tools to tackle emotional dysregulation head on. Through CBT, one learns to recognise triggers and develop strategies to manage negative emotions.
It's like having a map in a maze - guiding you through complex feelings with practical steps.
DBT, which stands for Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, focuses on accepting discomfort. It teaches the importance of balancing acceptance with change. Skills learnt in DBT include mindfulness, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.
This approach aims at building a life worth living by regulating emotions and improving relationships.
Medications for regulating emotions
Moving on from therapy, some people might need extra help to regulate emotions. Medications can play a key role here. Doctors often prescribe medicine for feeling too high or too low emotionally.
These meds work inside the brain to balance chemicals that affect our mood and emotions.
Taking medication is like getting extra support when strategies like self-talk or mindfulness aren't enough. It's important to talk with a doctor about how you're feeling. They can suggest the right medicine to help manage emotional ups and downs.
This step could be what someone needs to feel better and work well again.
Self-help resources and support groups
Finding the right self-help resources can make a big difference. Books, websites, and apps offer tips on emotion regulation strategies and improving emotional dysregulation. They provide practical advice for managing feelings at work.
Many of these tools focus on mindfulness, self-care, and building emotional intelligence.
Support groups bring people together who face similar challenges with emotional sensitivity. In these groups, members share experiences and coping methods. This sharing helps lessen feelings of isolation.
It also boosts confidence in dealing with emotions at work.
Next, let's explore how empathetic leadership plays a role in handling emotional dysregulation in the workplace.
The Role of Empathetic Leadership in Managing Emotional Dysregulation
Empathetic leaders can make a big difference in the workplace. They understand employees' feelings, helping everyone feel supported and valued.
Creating a culture of understanding and empathy
Leaders can build a culture of understanding and empathy at work. This starts by promoting emotional intelligence. Everyone learns to recognise their feelings and those of others. It’s about seeing beyond the surface, understanding why someone might be upset or struggling.
Training sessions help too. They teach how to listen well, validate feelings, and solve problems together. A workplace where everyone feels heard and understood boosts morale and productivity.
It makes for stronger teams who handle challenges better.
Promoting emotional intelligence in the workplace
From fostering understanding and empathy, we move on to the importance of emotional intelligence in the workspace. It's like building a bridge between knowing how others feel and managing our reactions to those feelings.
Everyone benefits from learning about emotional self-regulation. This includes recognising what sets off strong emotions and finding better ways to react.
By developing emotional intelligence, staff can improve interpersonal relationships. They learn not just to understand their own emotions but also to pick up on what colleagues might be feeling.
This skill makes teamwork smoother and helps everyone feel heard and valued. Enhanced communication is a natural outcome, leading to fewer misunderstandings and stronger bonds among team members.
Fostering effective communication and conflict resolution skills
Good leaders know how to talk and solve problems well. They listen carefully and make sure everyone feels understood. To develop emotional intelligence in the workplace, they teach their team to be clear and kind when talking.
This way, misunderstandings happen less often.
Leaders also help people learn how to settle arguments in a good way. They use examples and role plays to show how it's done. This builds strong teams that can face challenges without falling apart.
Everyone learns to see things from others' points of view, making work a better place for all.
Conclusion: Taking Steps Towards a Healthier and More Productive Workplace
Dealing with emotional dysregulation at work starts with understanding, both self and others. It's about carving out a space where everyone feels supported and valued. Strategies like mindfulness, setting boundaries, and seeking professional help can turn the tide.
Together, we create an environment that embraces individual needs while boosting overall productivity. Remember, every step towards emotional well-being is a leap towards a healthier workplace.
How To Deal With Emotional Dysregulation At Work FAQs
1. What is emotional dysregulation at work?
It's when someone finds it tough to control their feelings at work... like feeling very sad or frustrated, which can mess with how well they do their job.
2. Why do I feel so upset at work sometimes?
Well, common reasons include feeling rejected, not being able to handle stress well, or struggling with personal issues that make you feel really down.
3. How can I get better if my emotions are all over the place at work?
Trying things like dialectical behaviour therapy can help a lot. It teaches you ways to calm down and deal with tough emotions in a healthier way.
4. Can being emotionally out of whack affect my health?
Yes – it sure can! Not handling your feelings well might lead to not sleeping right, eating poorly, or even more serious stuff like substance abuse.
5. Is talking to myself going to make things better when I'm upset at work?
Actually, yes! Changing how you talk to yourself – thinking more positive thoughts and being kinder to yourself – can make a big difference in how you feel.
6. What should I do first if I realise my emotions are causing problems at work?
First step? Try simply identifying what’s bothering you... Knowing what’s making you upset is key before figuring out how best to deal with it.
