Squeeze Your Butt Cheeks
How I learned to manage my emotions at work
We have all had rough days at the office, and some days can be harder than others to keep it together.
I have always been emotionally sensitive, so keeping it together at work has been something I have had to work on a lot. I’ve learned to embrace this about myself and honor all of my emotions because it makes me who I am. But I’ve also learned that there is a time and place to express those emotions, and the workplace is typically not one of them.
My biggest issue with emotion at work is that when I get overwhelmed, mad, or frustrated- I cry. My ability to control this depends on my level of frustration. I try not to do it in front of anyone. I’m a ladies’ room weeper.
On one particularly rough day, when my level of frustration had gotten the best of me, I was talking with two of the company’s female executives about my disappointment in myself for crying out of frustration. One of the women said, “Oh, I know! Wanna know what I do when I feel like I’m going to cry? I just squeeze my butt cheeks!” She giggled and then went on to say with conviction that if you clench the cheeks together you can’t physically cry.
What?!
Is that even a thing?
She told me she’d heard about it at a conference, and it works for her!
I’m not going to lie. I tried it and it worked!
While this was hilariously great advice, it was a temporary solution. The problem was, I was frustrated most of the time, and I would have to squeeze my butt cheeks more often than not.
A few weeks later, I had the opportunity to spend time with some Buddhist monks, and they taught me some different ways to control my emotions that have been more useful overall. (As a side note, I shared with them about squeezing your butt cheeks and they thought it was hysterical!)
Here’s what I learned:
Don’t let things build up!
A lot of times when we get to our breaking point, it’s never just one thing we are upset about. Deal with issues as they come, rather than collecting them for later.
Walking Meditation
When things start feeling too emotional, take a walk. Walking meditation is just synchronizing your breath with your step. All you have to do is focus on walking and breathing. It’s amazing how rejuvenating this is. If you can’t leave your workspace, you can just focus on 10 deep breaths. Repeat as needed.
Don’t even think about it!
There’s a lot of power in our thoughts.
If you notice yourself thinking that today is going to suck, it probably will! Do yourself a favor and tell yourself that you’re up for whatever comes your way- because you will be! If you start to feel angry or upset, re-center your thinking. Are you dwelling on what is upsetting you? Do something else to take your mind off of it, or think about the things you’re grateful for. This is the quickest way to reverse negative thoughts.
These tips have truly helped me keep my emotions in check. I came back from my trip and applied what I learned. It helped tremendously. The job didn’t change. But I did.
Going on walks significantly helped! Pretty soon others in the office were joining me. Instead of venting about our frustrations, we would tell funny stories. We always came back laughing and refreshed. and ready to tackle the rest of the day. Now, it is a rare occasion that I feel the need to cry in the bathroom!
Of course, there will be times you might be attending a meeting or even a family dinner, and something catches you off guard. When you feel the emotions start welling up, go ahead and squeeze your butt cheeks. It does work in a pinch. Pun intended! ;)
