Everyone has feelings, even adults at their jobs. Sometimes, people at work feel stressed, angry, or sad. These feelings can affect how well they do their jobs and how happy they are. That’s why it’s important to understand emotions and learn how to take care of emotional health, not just for yourself, but also for the people you work with.

How Are People Feeling at Work?

A big company called Gallup asked workers all over the world how they feel at their jobs. Here’s what they found:

• 41% of workers feel stressed every day.
• 21% feel angry every day.
• 22% feel sad every day.

In the UK and Northern Ireland, the numbers were even higher for stress and anger.

Another study found that about 1 in 4 workers feel burned out. Burnout means feeling very tired, unhappy, and like you just can’t do your job well anymore.

What Is Burnout?

The World Health Organization says burnout happens when someone has too much stress at work for a long time and doesn’t get help or a break. Burnout has three main parts:

1. Feeling very tired and having no energy.
2. Feeling distant or negative about your job.
3. Feeling like you’re not doing your job well.

Burnout can make people unhappy and less productive. It’s important to notice burnout early and take steps to feel better.

What Is Emotional Health?

Emotional health means being aware of your feelings, understanding them, and managing them well. It’s about knowing how your emotions affect your thoughts and actions. Good emotional health helps people feel balanced and able to handle problems.

At work, emotional health helps people get along with others, focus on their tasks, and enjoy their jobs.

Important Emotional Skills for Work

Experts say there are seven key skills that help people be emotionally healthy at work:

1. Self-Belief

This means knowing your own strengths and feeling confident about your abilities. When you believe in yourself, you can face challenges better.

2. Self-Awareness

This is about noticing your own thoughts and feelings. For example, realizing when you’re getting frustrated or worried.

3. Self-Regulation

This means controlling your emotions and actions. For example, staying calm when something stressful happens instead of getting angry.

4. Self-Agency

This means believing you can make choices and influence what happens in your life and work.

5. Beliefs About Others

This is about trusting people and understanding their intentions. It helps build good teamwork.

6. Social Awareness

This means noticing how others feel and understanding how your actions affect them.

7. Relationship Skills

This is about building and keeping positive relationships with coworkers.

When employees develop these skills, workplaces become friendlier, less stressful, and more productive.

How Can People Improve Emotional Health at Work?

One helpful tool is called the ACT Matrix. It was created by a psychologist named Dr. Kevin Polk. The ACT Matrix helps people act in ways that match their values and goals, even when they feel stressed or upset.

This skill is called psychological flexibility – the ability to manage difficult feelings and still do what’s important.

Using the ACT Matrix can help workers:

• Deal with anxiety and stress
• Handle tough situations
• Build better relationships
• Solve conflicts
• Grow in their careers

Why Should Companies Care About Emotional Health?

When companies help their employees improve emotional health, everyone benefits:

• There are fewer fights or problems between coworkers.
• Employees feel happier and healthier.
• People miss fewer days of work.
• Workers enjoy their jobs more and do better work.

Investing in emotional health creates a positive workplace where people want to do their best.

What Can You Do If You’re a Boss or Manager?

If you lead a team, you can support your employees by:

• Encouraging them to talk about their feelings.
• Providing resources like counseling or stress management programs.
• Helping them learn emotional skills.
• Creating a work environment where people feel safe and respected.

Supporting emotional health isn’t just nice – it helps the whole company succeed.

Final Thoughts

Emotions are a natural part of life, even at work. Understanding and managing emotions helps people feel better, work better, and get along with others.

If you want to help your team or coworkers, focus on building emotional skills like self-awareness, self-regulation, and relationship skills. Using tools like the ACT Matrix can make a big difference.

Taking care of emotional health at work is good for everyone – employees, managers, and the company.

If you want to learn more about emotional health or how to support your team, don’t hesitate to ask for help or resources. Emotional health is important, and everyone deserves to feel good at work!