The age-old expectation in the workplace is to keep your emotions in check and keep a boundary between your personal and professional life, as our emotions are revealed in our body language, our choice of words, tone of voice, actions and moods – it forms part of who we are.

As a young graduate or student looking to gain experience in the workplace, your emotional intelligence is a critical skill and can be a competitive advantage in the workplace.

Being a babe in the working life environment can be difficult, especially if you’re new to the rush, deadlines and expectations of an industry. Emotions, particularly negative emotions, can be distracting at best and debilitating at worst. Also, positive and negative emotions in the workplace can be contagious.

According to Forbes, managers and executives must not only master their own emotions, but also craft strategies for their staff to support emotions at work. Doing so ultimately creates a more productive, supportive and energising work environment for all.

Whether you’re fresh out of university with a degree at hand or doing your work-integrated learning assessment in your third year – the workplace is going to be an overwhelming place for the first few months. However, it gets better in time if you get the start right.

As humans, we have the ability to affect and connect with one another through our emotions. In the workplace, this can negatively affect productivity and work relations if our emotions spiral out of control and impact the workflow.

For example, let’s say a rumour about the company’s declining finances is started by a small gathering at the office water station, and you happen to hear about it from a colleague present at said “gathering” – won’t that evoke emotions of fear, job insecurity and sadness? This will impact on your productivity and state of mind.

Here are 5 ways to put a lid on your emotional state in the workplace.

1. Understand the different emotions you’re feeling

There is a list of emotions that are part of the human experience and the onus is on us to choose how to respond to them. When you are aware of your emotions and how to respond to them, you defuse them and take away their power.

Emotions can be negative or positive. It is vital to deduce what emotion you feel and the source of that emotion, in order to know how to react to it or to even react to it at all.

2. Encourage positive emotions

Sometimes your colleagues can really test your patience and tolerance levels. Try to see the best in people and create a positivity board where people can post kind words about their co-workers. This can help employees get in touch with and share positive feelings.

3. Block out office gossips and negative talks

Stay clear of water station gossips and office politics as these just weigh you down. If you’re new to the workplace environment, it’s best to free your mind from the troubles of unwanted attention and negative vibes. It’s best to be a neutral person and friends with everyone, not minding anyone’s business.

4. Draw the line between your professional and personal life

Not all colleagues will make it on to your friendship list. Some would just be that – a colleague – and that’s perfectly normal. By creating boundaries, you save yourself the trouble of pleasing others and deny co-workers the opportunity of walking over you as a newbie.