how to take control of your emotions when making management decisions

"Think and only then act" - it seems like a simple rule, but in practice it is quite difficult to follow, especially when emotions take over reason. We talked about this, as well as why this happens and how to cool your head before making an important decision with business coach and psychologist Oksana Vas'ko.

How do emotions rule the mind?

Let's remember our physiology. We have two hemispheres: left and right. Logical and creative. Rational and emotional. The left hemisphere is responsible for analytical, logical thinking. The right hemisphere is responsible for our feelings, emotions, fantasies. They work like communicating vessels. The ideal situation is when both hemispheres are equally active, that is, there is a place for creativity in life, but at a crucial moment you do not allow emotions to prevail over you.

There are situations when the left hemisphere is more involved. For example, each of us has been in a situation when we thought about something very hard and then couldn’t even remember how and what we got to work on. And sometimes the right one is very active: for example, you are in a casino, there are girls in beautiful dresses next to you, the roulette is spinning, cheerful music is playing, the wine is flowing like a river, and after a couple of hours you don’t have a penny left in your pocket. You don’t understand how this happened, although, in fact, everything is more than simple: your critical thinking has decreased due to the predominance of the right hemisphere.

What is “impulsivity”?

Impulsivity is a tendency to act on the first impulse, under the influence of momentary stimuli, desires, without thinking through and weighing alternative options. At the core is a lack of self-control and a desire for quick pleasure. That is, the activation of the right hemisphere is obvious.

How to curb emotions when making decisions?

What can be done to reduce the intensity of emotions and increase the work of thinking (to make balanced management decisions):

- breathe. Breathing is the only vegetative function of the body that we can control. If you start breathing, emotions will subside, and critical thinking will prevail.

- take a break. Even 5 minutes can change a lot, a change of scenery helps to dispel the fog of emotions and come to your senses.

- drink water. Water eliminates the symptoms of stress (headache, muscle tension, deterioration of thinking, palpitations, loss of strength). Even minor dehydration of the body leads to a decrease in energy levels and deterioration of thought processes