Library | Photo by Arden Reimer | The Wright State Guardian
In places like a job setting, stress can be heightened with many personalities mixed. In a toxic workplace environment, they have their own problematic practices, but here are some helpful ways of dealing with normal workplace stress.
Take a step back
We have all been there. You are going through a million and one things in your life on top of work. You complete the assignment to the best of your abilities, and here comes your coworker or your boss, and they say something that does not help your already stressful time.
Take a step back and really think about what is making you angry. Evaluate whether it is the comment that makes you upset or if it is the things going on in your personal life. These can really affect your mental health and cause you to act out of character, making things seem like people are attacking you, but sometimes, they are not.
If you need to take a second to breathe, take that. You are valid to feel emotions, you are human. Give yourself time to feel your emotions before you act.
People have many activities they do for self care, so try to find one that you enjoy and use it. If you act and do something rash, you can lose your job.
Communicating with and understanding coworkers
In most cases of workplace discord, both parties tend to lead with their own feelings. There have been many times when people have felt attacked at a job, but in a lot of cases, it ends up being that the offending coworker also feels attacked. Just as you have emotions, they do too.
Communication is key to a good relationship, and that is what work is: a string of relationships to complete a task. The task does not get done if there is no communication.
When you get upset and have had a moment to reflect, clearly communicate how you feel about the situation and get a conversation going. If you need, bring in a third party, someone who could effectively moderate and see where the problem lies.
Always be intentional with how you talk at work.
Remember to feel
It is always okay to feel emotions. They tell you that you are human. So, at the end of the day, feel those feelings.
If at the end of the work day, you need to cry, rest, workout, scream, rant or yell, do so. If you do not, there is a chance that emotions can build up, which can potentially lead to larger confrontations later on. A small disagreement can turn into a Bad Girls Club-level fight, which will cost you your job and livelihood.
Toxic environments and human nature
If your environment is truly toxic, there are means to report that type of hostility.
Emotions are a hard thing to navigate because everyone has them. It is important to gauge your reaction and stay calm when dealing with them in the workplace. Never take your anger or stress out on someone; you never know what they are going through as well.
Always be mindful of others' emotions and allow yourself to feel these emotions in a healthy way.
