It is said that women are emotional beings. On average more emotional than men.
I am a woman (really!). And yes, I affirm to be 'an emotional creature'. At home. With friends. Alone. And yes, also at work.
And that has its advantages and disadvantages, I may say.
For example, I cry intensively at every funeral, even if I don't really know the deceased; or can you hear me shouting at myself with every missed ball while playing padel. But also I can get completely absorbed with music when in the right setting (The Doors on a warm summer evening; or Emma Baele in a confined space); and you have a faithful friend in me.
And that emotional creature at work?
I can react pretty intense when I see problems not being addressed, or when I'm a bit frustrated for whatever reason. You can also see it in me if I don't understand something; or when I am disappointed; or when I see common sense lost in bureaucracy; or because decisiveness is lacking; or when agreements are not respected; or when precious time is wasted….
And you can also see it in me when I am enthusiastic : in my face, my eyes, my smile, ... my 'body language' tout-court. And this is as well the case when just in a conversation, when I listen, when I hear what others struggle with, ... I genuinely sympathise.
And this is really not a choice, being authentically emotional! This is just how I am.
Now I recently read that the word "emotion" has its origin in the Latin "emovēre", which means "to set in motion". And that it are my emotions that give me the energy I need 'to get something moving'!
Yes! That's really what it is! If I want to do things, to make a change; when I question things, I am… focused; passionate; driven.
Driven by my emotions.
So emotions at work don't have to be taboo at all. It's perfectly fine to allow emotions, and to show them. It's even crucial to get people 'onboard' that you know how to touch their hearts. Which also means that you have to be able to be open and vulnerable yourself.
It is important nevertheless to be aware of what your own emotions are at any given moment, to understand them, and ... to realise when they strongly influence your decisions or behaviour. So to learn how to deal with them, and when 'taking a pauze' or 'some distance' is the better choice. For example... when it is best to postpone that e-mail until the emotions have been processed. I often use the latter myself. And those times I didn't... well, even then I should have done it, because an emotional email very rarely leads to a positive result.
So yes, being aware of my emotions works very well for me.
Controlling them? Not always!
I mostly remember:
I am driven! Maybe by my emotions, but that's really just a detail.
You may find following interesting read :
Are woman more emotional than men? - Psychology Today
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