Surviving Chaos at Work
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Don’t let chaos control you: owning your energy in a crazy world.
Sometimes people can be a lot. Whether it’s a coworker who's frustrated, a client who's upset, or just the general stress of daily life, it can be easy to feel like you're swept up in the emotional current of other people. You don’t have to absorb that energy.
One of the most powerful tools you can practice and strive towards is learning how to stay grounded and regulate your own emotions, no matter what's happening around you. As hard as it may be sometimes, in every interaction, you have the power to control your response.
Understanding energy dynamics.
We’ve all experienced a stressful work meeting or conflict with someone else where someone’s voice is getting louder, or a situation where someone is stressed out, frustrated, struggling and emotionally escalated. Energy is contagious, and there’s a tendency to mirror or match that energy.
Often if others are stressed or escalated, that energy and emotion can get transferred and conducted through the people in close proximity.
When someone is upset, it can be natural to react in kind, but maintaining your composure is incredibly impactful for the situation at hand and your own peace of mind.
“It takes a lot of self-control to stay calm when others are raising their voices or becoming agitated.”
Staying calm in the storm.
This kind of self-regulation can be massively difficult, especially when emotions run high. It takes a lot of self-control to stay calm when others are raising their voices or becoming agitated. Staying steady in the face of chaos is a skill worth developing.
A useful way to think of it is being in the eye of a storm. The world may be howling around you, but you’re in the center, and calm. You can choose to stay centered in that calm and not get swept up by the external kerfuffle.
“Staying emotionally grounded isn’t just about keeping your cool — it’s about harnessing the power that your emotional response is yours to control.”
The zen of emotional self-control.
Staying emotionally grounded isn’t just about keeping your cool — it’s about harnessing the power that your emotional response is yours to control. If someone around you is agitated, it can be easy to let their energy influence yours. But with a little mindfulness and practice, you can learn how to stay centered, even when the situation or others around you seem to be spiraling out of control.
By not matching the heightened energy of others, you prevent yourself from getting caught in the chaos. You can remain in your own space and respond calmly, without someone else’s emotional state dictating how you feel or act..
Putting it into practice.
Here are a few concrete things to keep in mind and use to help you stay grounded in moments of chaos:
Breathe deeply: When you feel your emotions rising in response to someone else’s behavior, take a few good, deep breaths. This helps reset your nervous system and brings you back into a state of calm.
Pause before reacting: In situations where someone is upset or agitated, give yourself a moment to process what’s happening before responding. This gives you a little space to decide how you want to react, rather than simply reacting out of instinct.
Focus on your tone and body language: Your tone of voice and body language influence how others experience your energy. Keeping your voice steady and being aware of your body language helps convey a sense of control and calm.
Acknowledge the other person’s feelings: Sometimes, just acknowledging someone else’s frustration can help de-escalate the situation. A simple “I can see this is frustrating for you” can go a long way in making the other person feel heard without you absorbing their energy.
“The more you practice and catch yourself in the moment, the easier it becomes to maintain your center, no matter what’s going on around you.”
It matters in the short and long run.
Maintaining emotional balance is good for your well-being in the workplace and outside of work too. By keeping your energy steady, you become someone others can rely on to diffuse tension rather than escalate it. Being present and able to remain calm in the storm causes better relationships with coworkers, clients, and friends.
This is a skill you have to work on and strengthen over time. The more you practice and catch yourself in the moment, the easier it becomes to maintain your center, no matter what’s going on around you.
Getting skilled at this creates an environment and a life that’s calmer, more productive, and ultimately more peaceful. And based on how tough the world can be to move through sometimes, that’s a pretty huge benefit.
Related Blogs:
Conflict Skills: Don't Be So Quick to Anger
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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