7 Things to do to Avoid Losing Your Temper at Work

I won’t lie; there are times in my life when I just can’t seem to control my temper. There are instances where I lashed out at my loved ones in one of my temper outbursts, but lately, I’ve noticed that I have gotten better at controlling my anger. Even then, there will always be times when people around you will do something that will make you lose your cool.

Losing your cool occasionally is common, let me be frank here, but it’s not something we can afford at work, now, can we? Anger is a natural emotion and it’s OK to feel angry sometimes, but losing your temper at work can have negative consequences and can harm your work relationships.

Now, you may wonder what “losing my temper” looks like, right? Well, when you lose control of your even temper, it could come out as raising your voice, insulting others, leaving the room, quitting, being passive-aggressive, and even engaging in physical altercations.

Reasons for losing your temper at work could include job burnout, being overworked, stress, or even a mental health condition. However, with simple tips, you can learn to avoid losing your temper and maintain your cool at work.

Look at these tips and let me know if they work for you!

How to Avoid Losing Your Temper at Work?

1. See the Warning Signs

Learn to identify the early signs of losing your cool. This might help stave off the anger outburst. It might not always be possible to see the signs of losing your temper, it is possible to notice physical, emotional, or even behavioral signs. For example, pay attention to your heart rate, breathing, pacing, fidgeting, annoyance, irritation, negative thinking, etc. This early recognition might help you control your temper.

2. Try Deep Breathing

Next, try deep breathing. One of the easiest and best self-soothing techniques, deep breathing can help you calm your temper. Take deep breaths from your belly and your chest. This will activate the parasympathetic response, calming your stress.

3. Pause Your Actions

If you find yourself losing your temper at work, pause your actions. You can try to remove yourself from the triggering situation or use phrases like, “I’ll think about it.” “Let me process it.” or “I’ll get back to you.”

4. Pay Attention to Your Thoughts

Another thing you can do to calm your temper at work is to pay attention to your thoughts. Try to notice your thoughts like, “I am angry”. Then, try to see how that thought is controlling your actions and your response. This way, you’ll know what to do and how to maintain your cool.

5. Practice Grounding Exercises

You can also use your five senses to ground you to the present moment and calm down. If it helps, try to splash your face with cold water or use ice cubes to ground yourself to the present. Now, you’ll be literally cooling yourself down from your rage! You can also try these grounding techniques to calm yourself down.

6. Connect to an Anchor

When you’re about to lose your temper at work, try to connect to an anchor. It could be a person, a place, or an object you hold close to your heart. This helps you turn on the logical thinking part of your brain and avoid the rage from boiling over. This works as well as grounding techniques so try it if you’re losing your temper.

7. Work on Your Emotional Intelligence

EQ or emotional intelligence is often about being aware of your thoughts, behaviors, and actions. When you’re aware of yourself, you increase your opportunities for productivity. Here, you can try some journaling or self-reflection exercises to calm yourself down. Try to focus on capturing the warning signs, your response (emotional, cognitive, etc.), and how you reacted. Over time, you’ll learn to see the patterns and how to break them.

What Next?

If your anger is causing you issues at work or home, then it may be time to consult a professional. Anger outbursts can be a sign of a serious underlying mental health condition. Early diagnosis and treatment can help.

Some common conditions that might be causing your anger issues could include;

• Trauma
• Depression
• Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)
• Personality Disorders
• PTSD, and more.

If you’re worried about losing your temper at work, then I hope the above tips may help you avoid it. If you need it, then consulting a professional can help you understand the causes of your anger issues and how to deal with them strategically.

Anger is an unavoidable and natural emotion but how you feel about anger and how you respond to it matters a lot. If your temper is bringing negative consequences to your life, then the above-listed ways or reaching out to a professional counselor may help.

I hope this article helped you. For more, you can write to us at info@calmsage.com or DM us on social media. You can also let us know what you think about this article in the comments below.

Take Care!