How to Recognize and Fix Emotional Dysregulation in the Workplace

You're in a critical meeting, and someone challenges your strategy. Suddenly, your mind goes blank.

 Or you snap with a response you regret two minutes later. 

Or you shut down completely and let the conversation pass without you. 

Later, you wonder: why couldn't I think straight?

That's what happens when you're outside your window.
 

Your Window of Tolerance is the stress threshold where strategic thinking still works. 

Inside: you can decide, communicate, lead clearly. 

Outside: your nervous system runs the show. 

Logic disappears. You react instead of respond.

The cost of operating outside your window:

• Strategic thinking disappears: You make reactive calls instead of smart ones
• Communication breaks down: You misread situations or say things you don't mean
• Team performance drops: When you're dysregulated, your team feels it and mirrors it
• Mistakes multiply: Decisions made in survival mode rarely age well

Here's how to stay inside your window (and help your team do the same):

For yourself:

• Notice early signs: chest tightness, racing thoughts, irritability, mental fog
• Reset before deciding: breathe, walk, or name the feeling
• Adjust daily; your window isn't always the same width

For your team:

• Give space to reset when they're dysregulated
• Simplify decisions when they're overwhelmed
• Choose empathy over pressure
• Model calm, and they will mirror it

Your window determines everything: decision quality, team performance, and your ability to lead when it counts. Learn to recognize the edges.
 

Your Window of Tolerance determines everything: decision quality, team performance, and your ability to lead when it counts. Learn to recognize the edges.
 

Know your signals. Reset at the first sign. Decide from inside your window. Learn more at https://eliteexecutive.ca.

A Few Things for You:

1. Check out the Fast Stress Management Worksheet: Download the worksheet now from your Elite Executive library.
2. Book a Discovery Call:  Schedule a FREE call with Gina to learn how EMDR and Executive Coaching can help you achieve peak performance in your role.
3. Start the EMDR Program:  If you’re ready to become a happier, healthier, and more effective leader, join our EMDR Peak Performance Core Program