Want to Improve Your Emotional Resilience? Reframe Your Mindset

Work can be very stressful. Unfortunately, reacting to difficult situations by yelling or behaving inappropriately in front of others can be both embarrassing and unproductive. To avoid this, many of today’s entrepreneurs and leaders make a daily effort to regulate their emotions, especially when faced with stress.

With practice, we can all learn to master our emotions. By doing so, you’ll focus your energy on the immediate issues at hand as well as maintain momentum toward your greater goals for the future. These three tried-and-true mindfulness habits can help you learn which mental behaviors you should adopt and which you should avoid:

Leave No Room for the Negative: Make an effort to stay aware of your emotional state throughout your day. When you feel doubt and other negative emotions, observe these thoughts. Try this exercise: Imagine placing unwanted emotions in a box. Next, imagine kicking the box so far you can’t see it. By doing so, you’ve given your doubts the boot! Now, instead of dwelling on fear or worry, identify the positives from the current situation. Deep breathing, exercise, soothing music, and other meditative habits that slow your heart rate can help you assess your emotional state and feel more in-control. With practice, you can become a highly effective, mindful thinker!

Stay Confident: It is important to support your team members. Working in harmony is an import aspect of strong teamwork. Avoid dishing out harsh and negative words when things don’t work out the way you had hoped for. While negative reinforcement may feel like a solution, it can in fact deter future participation from your teammates. So instead of only pointing out the negative, focus on the positive, even in the face of mistakes and misfortune. This will motivate your team and encourage them to share new ideas.

Have Big-Picture Thinking: When you encounter failure, you may want to lash out in anger or express disappointment. But doing so may lead to actions you regret. Instead, keep your eyes on your greater goal: growth. Your emotional control will translate to a positive, passionate team dynamic and enable you to move in sync toward your shared, long-term goals.

Can’t shake your negative outlook? We can help. Learn additional ways to overcome business challenges at the SYNCIS blog.