When you're dealing with a difficult person, a variety of negative emotions might start running through your brain. You might feel like responding in an angry way.
MEDITATIVE SELF-MANAGEMENT
hen you're dealing with a difficult person, a variety of negative emotions might start running through your brain. You might feel like responding in an angry way. You might feel edgy and impatient. If these kinds of emotional reactions are actually expressed, it can make the difficult person's behavior even worse. Rather than putting negative self-talk into action, it's better to take control of your responses and manage your emotions. To do this successfully, you need to focus on your own self-management skills.
There are a number of self-management techniques you can practice to improve your skills in this area. For example, you can practice a number of calming, meditative techniques. Calming, meditative techniques help you pay attention to your breath and your body, guiding your feelings to a relaxed state. In this state, you feel calmer and better able to manage your emotional response to a difficult person.
The practice of meditation allows you to recover from emotional "hijacks." So when a difficult person triggers a reaction in your brain, such as surprise, anger, or disgust, you can slow down your "primitive" response and avoid reacting too quickly or inappropriately. Meditation also puts you in a frame of mind where you can visualize difficult people in a more positive light, and even empathize with them. This can make your encounters with them easier.
To meditate, you can practice three techniques. The first technique is calming breathing. To practice this technique, you inhale slowly and then exhale twice as long as you inhaled. For example, inhale to the count of three and exhale to the count of six.
The second technique is muscle relaxation. To practice this technique, sit where you are supported, for example, on a chair or couch. Begin by feeling the support. Then, beginning with your head or your feet, slowly relax each muscle group until you have attended to each part of your body.
The third technique you could try is visualization. To practice this technique, relax and visualize a place that you find comforting or beautiful, or that elicits positive emotions in you. You can also use guided meditation with music and words to visualize relaxing scenes and sensations.
Spending a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. By practicing meditative techniques, you'll be better able to compose yourself and regulate your emotions after a confrontation with a difficult person.
I have been teaching and training agents, team leaders, supervisors, managers and admins of call centers and other businesses in BPO related fields. This series, comes as a result of that experience. I have more than 4,000 modules that I plan on sharing here. This is # 001-05
