Dealing with Difficult Emotions

By - Content by Robert Magill, edited by Joy
28.10.22 04:43 PM

Jack was having a horrible day.  The moment he got to work, he saw an email from his boss indicating that they needed to have a talk, but no reason was provided.   Jack felt incredibly nervous.  The day continued to spiral downward from there with interactions with his co-workers, and he couldn't understand why.


He was dealing with some difficult emotions that clouded his perspective on everything else.

Dealing With Difficult Emotions...

What could help Jack with his emotions?
1) Recognize the emotion. 
What is he feeling, thinking, or experiencing that is getting in his way?  He was afraid of meeting with his boss.

2) Identify the cause. 
What is causing that emotion? Fear...but why?  Is he afraid of losing his job, getting transferred, maybe getting a promotion that he didn't want, or maybe he just wanted to avoid a potentially uncomfortable conversation.

3) Figure out what is in your control. 
What can he do about it?  CAN he even do anything about it? He can't change the meeting.  He can't change the topic.  Are there things that ARE in his control?

Back to Jack...

Jack got to work and got an email from his boss.  His boss wanted to meet later in the day. 

Jack realized he was afraid about the meeting because he didn't know what the meeting was about.  He also realized he couldn't control the meeting, but what he could do was make sure his performance is where it should be and that he has answers prepared for potential concerns his boss might bring up.  As far as his co-workers, no one else knew he was meeting with the boss later, so he decided to try to go about his day as if the meeting wasn't scheduled.  He needed to focus on his usual tasks until the meeting occurred. 



Emotions are an integral part of our everyday life.  Becoming aware of the emotions and how they interact with our perceptions can lead us to healthy ways of navigating the difficult emotions we encounter.

The content above is based on the information provided from the youtube video by Robert Magill (see below); it has been edited and arranged by Joy Bundy.

Content by Robert Magill, edited by Joy

Categories -
Personal Growth
Tags -
Perception