Have you ever experience having somebody take credit for something you did at work? Are people not asking you for your inputs in the decision-making process? If your answer is “yes”, you might have trouble expressing yourself, which causes your workmates to see you as a pushover or insignificant in the workplace. If this is the case, then you need to learn how to express yourself.
Acknowledge and Conquer Your Emotions. It is common for people to suppress their emotions, especially if they were brought up that way. However, suppressing one’s emotions may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle since pent up emotions may produce toxins, leading to stress. However, yelling out your emotions may make you appear unprofessional, especially if you express them in the workplace. The best way to express yourself if to acknowledge that you have strong emotions about something that happened in the workplace, conquer your emotions first by calming yourself. If you must relieve yourself from the overwhelming emotions, do not do so in public; instead, find a secluded area where you can express them.
Verbalize Your Emotions in a Productive Manner. Now that you have conquered your emotions and have calmed down, you can verbalize how you feel more professionally and productively to your colleagues or superiors in the workplace. For example, instead of screaming at a colleague for taking credit for something you worked on, verbalize it professionally by stating that you did not appreciate his or her actions and that you felt cheated or disrespected because of it. Expressing your emotions professionally and productively is difficult and may require some practice, but it is necessary to maintain a good working relationship in the office.
Be Fearless. People are not born with confidence; instead, you need to learn to be confident. Confidence is a product of knowing that you have a support system and that you believe in yourself. You can be confident by believing in your capabilities and knowing your vulnerabilities as well. Be fearless in expressing what you want to achieve in the office and ask for that raise if you feel that you deserve it.
Express Yourself Creatively. You can express yourself creatively in your workplace aside from verbalizing your mood or emotions. You might choose to wear dull-coloured outfits if you are in a bad mood or choose bright colours if you woke up cheerful. If you do this enough, your colleagues will figure out what your outfits express, and they may or may not adjust their words and actions to your moods.
Open Up to Your Colleagues. Most of the times, your colleagues will disrespect and undermine you and your work because they have no idea of who you are. Opening up to your colleagues about who you are and what makes you tick or pushes your buttons will help them understand you better.
There are a lot of people who still do not know how to express themselves authentically. This inability to express themselves will hinder their production in the workplace. Learning to share your thoughts and emotions will help you deal with your colleagues professionally and allow you to have a more productive working relationship in the workplace. When you allow yourself to open up and share your thoughts and emotions, you will feel more confident and become a true person to your colleagues.
