How to turn off your emotions at work: unpack your emotional briefcase

If you are having trouble managing your emotions in the workplace, use this technique to release your emotional baggage.

Find yourself surprised that the resentment, frustration, fear, and anger are still making appearances long after the event? Have you worked through past experiences cognitively, but can’t seem to get rid of the hurt or suspicion at the back of your throat or in your chest? Do these emotions interrupt your productivity or relationships at work or home?

How many times have those old emotions woken up in a new relationship or after you’ve repaired a bond? How well is that old doubt, anxiety, or bitterness serving you today? Studies have proven that the hold negative emotions and traumatic past events have on us can be reduced by releasing our emotional baggage through a technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Use this practice to release old emotions that are no longer working for you.

EFT acts through simultaneous somatic and cognitive interventions. It stimulates acupressure points while you harness the power of your focus to release judgment and practice self-compassion. You can practice EFT both in the moment – take a bathroom break during a contentious meeting or fight with your spouse – or to cope with the aftereffects of the emotional turbulence. Practicing emotional release at the end of a stressful day guarantees better sleep!

To practice EFT:

Focus on a negative emotion from a past or present event and recall the feeling.
Rate the intensity of the emotion on a scale of 1-10.
Set up a self-acceptance mantra: “Even though I feel________, I love and accept who I am as I am.”
Follow the pattern shown in the photo below, using 5 to 7 medium-firm taps on all 9 points.
Evaluate the intensity of the emotion on a scale of 1-10.
Repeat tapping until emotion is reduced to a 2 on that scale.

With gratitude to Bernadette Wasike for her inspirational artwork: “Birds Flying to Human Head”. Find this and more at https://pixels.com/featured/flying-birds-to-human-head-bernadette-wasike.html.