WHY EMOTIONAL REGULATION HELPS WITH OUTCOMES
They added that if one is able to successfully manage one’s emotions, this often translates into better workplace outcomes, from clearer decision-making to stronger professional relationships.
Mr Chris Wong, a clinical psychologist at Heartscape Psychology, said learning how to regulate our emotions is key.
“While it is normal and valid for us to experience various emotions, learning to regulate them can allow us to manage or respond to them in a more proactive, helpful manner rather than a reactive, unhelpful way,” he said.
Ms Wirawan said that successful individuals are those who can feel stressed or frustrated and still think clearly, communicate effectively, and make good decisions.
Without regulation, everything becomes reactive, which can result in emails fired off in the heat of the moment, decisions driven by anxiety rather than strategy and the breakdown of relationships when people are operating in a constant state of fight-or-flight.
“For many companies, emotional intelligence is a prerequisite for senior leadership roles or for certain promotions,” she said.
Mr James Chong, principal counsellor at The Lion Mind, added that in the workplace, how one manages emotions affects how others perceive one’s reliability, judgment and leadership capacity.
Beyond workplace performance, however, emotional regulation is also a skill for life more broadly.
Mr Chong said that emotional regulation is part of a healthy lifestyle, much like maintaining regular sleep or eating routines.
“When regulation becomes habitual, it supports both well-being and long-term sustainability at work.”