Emotional exhaustion and tension are directly related to our feelings. Feelings are subjective reactions to things that happen to us and around us.
We are always experiencing feelings. Sometimes they are vivid and sometimes they are barely noticeable. Some feelings can be ignored so as not to experience stronger ones or to avoid unpleasant consequences. For example, we feel resentment when we put a lot of effort into a task and the laurels are collected by a supervisor who did almost nothing. Or, when a supervisor yells at you because of a mistake, you may feel ashamed and irritated by the disrespect.
And you may also feel anxiety – if you tell the manager that you will not allow yourself to be talked to that way, a conflict will arise and problems at work will arise. So feelings create internal tension.
Emotional Exhaustion Starts From Unexpressed Emotions
To reduce the tension caused by feelings, they can be expressed – called an emotion. In communication, people convey emotions every time, but most often do it non-verbally – without using words: facial expressions, gestures, intonation. If you express feelings with words, the other person will understand you more accurately and you will feel better.
Expressing feelings with words is difficult, especially for people who don’t often listen to themselves. But it is important, even if they seem inappropriate or too vivid.
The easiest way to express feelings is to use “self-sentence.” For example, if you are angry at your boss who yells at you or feel resentful, say not “you made me angry/insulted,” but “I feel angry, resentful when you yell.”
Expressing feelings is a good way to communicate with others. They often don’t know how you perceive the situation and how you feel, so it’s important to say what hurts and what annoys you. There is nothing wrong with this – on the contrary, other people will help you find a solution and support you if they understand what you need and how you are feeling. And if they don’t, it can make you feel better just by speaking up.
How to Express Your Feelings
If you cannot talk about feelings, but they overwhelm you, try to express them in some other way. Below are a few ways.
Rest
Coping with feelings, you can choose yoga, meditation, and emotionally meaningful events. However, some rest with more active hobbies, like betting at Bet22 or hiking.
Do a Breathing Practice
For example, if you’re feeling anxious – a feeling that comes up whenever you’re faced with thoughts of uncertainty about the future – breathe to make yourself feel better.
Rationalize the Anxiety
Ask yourself the question, “What’s the worst that could happen if the situation turns out the way I imagine it will?” And try to figure out what the likelihood is that it will be that way.
Here it is important to remember how you have successfully handled negative situations in the past. Remember that the future hasn’t happened yet, treat change like a change in the weather: if you feel something is going to go wrong, take an “umbrella” with you.
Let the Aggression out
If you’re feeling angry or resentful, try expressing them through playing an active sport or computer game. And you can also just actively and with feeling tear the paper into many small pieces.
Complain
If it’s difficult to express feelings, such as to management or colleagues, you can share with someone close to you who can listen.
Transfer the Feeling to Another Situation
If the situation at work isn’t working out, try working with it in other areas of your life – wherever possible. Successful experiences will help you figure out a way to fix the work sphere as well. For example, if you’re angry because you can’t change processes at work, try to change them in sports, food, relationships – anywhere.
If we can’t deal with negative feelings and no new pleasant feelings arise, we can face emotional exhaustion and burnout. So the more emotionally demanding your job is, the more important an emotionally restorative rest is.