What is the first step to managing your emotions at work?

• A. Take a break and breathe
• B. Write down your strong feelings or emotions
• C. Deny you have emotions
• D. Suppress them completely

Answer: (B)

Recognizing and naming your feelings is the foundational move when managing emotions at work. Writing down your strong feelings externalizes what’s inside, which lowers their intensity and makes it easier to see what triggered the reaction. This awareness helps you decide how to respond rather than react impulsively, and the written record gives you something concrete to review, share with others if needed, and plan a constructive next step. A break and a breath can be helpful, but they work best after you’ve identified what you’re feeling so you can tailor the break to address the right emotion. Denying or suppressing emotions are avoidance habits that often make things worse by increasing stress and obscuring what actually needs attention.