Managing Emotions
Managing Emotions
Because it's not all just
upward-sloping line graphs
It recently came to my attention that I have (unofficially) been managing my marketing team for one year. Thinking back on the last year, it's been a whirlwind of emotions, successes, struggles, and lessons learned. I want to explore more of what I have found to be some of my biggest challenges since taking on this role.
my biggest surprise: emotions
When you start learning about working as an adult, you hear that it's important to keep emotion out of the mix. Work is for work, and everything else stays at home. However, as I have grown into an adult, I realize that this mantra is an ideal and sometimes not the easiest to achieve.
Life is a sticky, messy, wonderful, awful, hectic, unpredictable roller coaster. When the majority of your waking hours are at work, it's hard to not let the craziness of life leak into those 8-12 hours you're working daily. The difference is how you handle it.
work it off
For me, I've found a few ways that I handle emotions in the workplace. I work out in the mornings before work to increase my endorphins and shake out any stressing energies before stepping foot into the office. After work, I often feel drained: physically, emotionally, mentally. The only thing I want to do is grab some dinner, sit back, and relax. By waking up early and taking that time for me to better myself, I focus better, feel more motivated, and am ready to face the day.
embrace the om
I have also embraced yoga wholeheartedly. Being able to shut my brain off and follow the lead of my instructor has been ahh-mazing for my stress levels. It's refreshing to absolve myself in the moment and not worry about doing anything perfectly–how can you mess up stretching? Whether it's a 6am flow, a 6pm sculpt class, or a weekend vinyasa, I love devoting my time to my practice and dedications.
keep it real
I'm also really real with my team. If there is something going on with me that is distracting me from work, I am open about it. A simple side note like, "Hey, I've got some personal stuff going on that I'm working through. I don't feel like I'm on my A game today, but I'm giving it 100% of what I have," is enough to let others understand my mindset that day without oversharing. I encourage them to be honest with me if there is a reason they are feeling off, too. Keeping communication open and truthful allows for better collaboration and understanding.