As our environment becomes more challenging,
Our emotions can become more intense.
And if we are around others who are also under pressure,
Things can escalate quickly,
And what were constructive working or personal relationships can be impacted.
And over time,
The relationships can become less supportive and less productive for all involved.
Maybe we hear that a colleague has not followed our instructions that we thought were clear and put our team or work at risk.
And this is the third person who has not done what we wanted that morning,
And we feel frustration,
Resentment and anger bursting up and we set off to give them a piece of our mind.
Or,
After a really long,
Hard day of demanding work,
We are on the phone with our partner and they start complaining that we had forgotten an appointment.
The ability to regulate emotions is always an important skill,
And in times of challenge,
Becomes vital.
Being able to maintain a clear head while others are not may make all the difference,
Not just to the people we are serving,
But also to our ability to continue to be supported by those around us.
Managing our emotions has a number of key parts.
The first step is to recognise that we are starting to get emotionally activated.
For many people,
Paying attention to their body can act as an early warning sign of when the tell-tale indicators of an emotion are starting to appear.
That could be tightness in the jaw and hands with anger,
Or the drooping and heaviness in our shoulders with sadness and despair.
And once we notice,
The important step is to pause or stop.
If there is one part of this tool to remember,
It is to pause when we are starting to feel overwhelmed with an emotion.
Then take a breath.
And this can even happen mid-sentence.
Just pause.
The next step is to recognise.
To recognise what is happening in your experience.
You may notice what emotions are present,
Or recognise the story that you have formed,
Maybe about the other person and their intention.
And the last step is to respond.
Rather than a reaction to the situation,
What would a more skilful response look like?
In this tool,
You will be guided through the three steps for managing your emotions so that you will be less likely to act out when you are getting emotionally overwhelmed.
And research shows that journaling or writing can be particularly effective in working with strong emotions.
In the 10-minute meditation,
Feel free to write down your experience as you move through the different steps.
To start with,
You can practice with the situation that happened recently.
Then as you become more familiar with the tool,
You'll be able to start applying it in real time as new emotionally charged situations arise.
And as you get more skilled at managing your emotions,
Working with others in high-stress situations becomes more productive,
And relationships of all kinds deepen,
Offering more support.
Let's try out the practice of responding to challenge.
