When Emotions Run High
Controlling stress and anxiety in the team environment
Emotions are experienced every day. Some of these emotions are happy and some are sad. Some come with anxiety and some come with an emotional peace. Whatever the case, emotions are there and control a great deal of outcomes.
As a team or organization emotions are something that must be harnessed and controlled. It is a subject that must not go overlooked. Emotions can be looked at as something great or something that people tend to let get the better of them. Understanding how and why these feelings come about in an organization can be a huge factor in success or defeat.
Being part of an organization brings a lot of emotion. Most organizations are trying to accomplish something and any time success is your focus multiple stressors will come into play. Anxiety, high stress, and arousal definitely surge the organizational work and sport environment. Timelines must be met, certain improvements must be reached, and all of this is done along with each individual having to manage and meet production.
Let’s take an athletic team and use them as an example. Regardless of the team there is a coach that must produce wins, assistants that must meet the criteria of the head coach, athletes that must be able to master and have an understanding of the team’s philosophies, and on top of that still be able to perform and compete on an individual level.
With so much going on within one organization it is no wonder so much feeling flows through each person. Emotions are at the top of the elite sport pyramid. Emotions are above confidence, motivation, focus, and intensity. It is this way because emotions will ultimately dictate how you perform throughout a competition. Emotions during a competition can cover a broad spectrum from excitement, to anger and frustration, to disappointment.
In a sense it can be a disaster waiting to happen and for many it usually is. As we all know there can only be one champion which means the others did not do so well at controlling any number of factors. Most of this was due to various feelings overtaking the situation. When situations like this occur in organizations it can be hard to be successful. People get frustrated with each other and with themselves. Negative thoughts can fill a locker room or office overnight and plague an organization. Fighting and disagreement can push the team further apart and into dysfunction if the problem is not taken control of and resolved. They can hurt you both physically and mentally. They cause you to lose your prime intensity.
Although emotions are inevitable, there are those who do a great job of controlling these various anxieties and harness them to produce success within themselves and their organization. Being open minded and communicating these stressors to each other is the best way to alleviate these problems from blossoming. Many of the great teams and organizations seem as though they never come across these roads but in actuality they do. They are just superior to others in the discipline and approach they take in handling these circumstances.
Talking and educating your organization about these psychological stressors is a piece that should be tapped into. How we handle and approach stress can be learned by listening to each other as well as by seeking help from professionals. Being in control of these emotional challenges communicates that you have the ability to meet the demands of your sport or job. In controlling these emotional challenges, you gain confidence and also fill your mind with positive thoughts.
These positive thoughts turn into positive emotions such as joy, excitement, and satisfaction. This is when we become relaxed, energized, and physically capable of performing our best. It is my belief that doing this will allow for an ecstatic work environment and a peaceful home.
“You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic. True power is restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.” –Bruce Lee
