I was reviewing training content about emotions, not only identifying them but also managing them, and the analogy to a beach ball was made. If you hold a beach ball under water, no matter the energy you devote to it, the ball will eventually pop up… And might even bop you in the face. Emotions are the same. You can ignore them, hide them, compartmentalize them, but they will eventually surface.
The training encouraged participants to identify an emotion, including the intensity, and manage how they react to the emotion. Self-awareness is the first step, which includes not only recognition of the emotion but how your reaction to that emotion will impact others. This is the foundation of emotional intelligence.
The next step is self-management, which is, well, managing how you react amid that emotion or a stressful situation. Is your heart racing? Have you lost your breath? Are your hands sweaty? Those are signs you may be experiencing an amygdala hijack. If unaddressed, this can last up to 18 minutes! That’s a long time to make a mistake in your communications. You determine the outcome by what you do next. Interested in self-management? Good! Start by pausing and taking a breath, then take a few minutes to reflect and assess the situation. Based on the situation, is there a way to relieve the pressure?
Why are these steps necessary during a stressful or negative situation? Taking these steps and waiting the hijacker out will likely result in a more productive outcome when you make your next move.