4 Emotional Regulation Strategies

“Stay professional”, the most useless advice for handling workplace conflict.

Ever received this feedback when dealing with a difficult situation?
Sounds good, but what does it actually mean?

𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻:

➡️Your project gets sabotaged
➡️A colleague takes credit for your work
➡️Your proposal gets dismissed without discussion

Research shows 76% of employees struggle with workplace conflict management.
We’re expected to handle it well, but never taught how.

What people normally do is one of these 4 options:

1) Choosing to avoid triggering situations
2) Changing the situation to reduce impact
3) Distracting and doing something else
4) Reappraisal: Changing how we think and feel about the situation

Research shows cognitive reappraisal is most effective long-term.

Yet 65% of professionals default to suppression – the least effective strategy.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 – 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟰-𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 (𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀)
➡️Document everything while it’s fresh
➡️Draft your response, but don’t send
➡️Review after a day with a clear mind

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀-𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵
➡️Focus on observable events
➡️Use specific dates and numbers
➡️Remove emotional language entirely

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸
➡️Present 2-3 concrete options
➡️Highlight business impact
➡️Request specific feedback

𝘌𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦:
Instead of: “You never include me in important meetings”
Try: “I noticed I wasn’t invited to the last 3 project planning sessions. This impacts my ability to deliver on time. Could we discuss how to improve communication?”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁:
Faster conflict resolution
Better stakeholder relationships
Increased visibility with leadership
Protected reputation

👉Tip: Being professional isn’t about hiding frustration. It’s about channeling it into constructive action.