Strategies for boosting self-regulation

This lesson will teach you about emotional self-regulation. First, you’ll learn to define this term and identify five self-regulation components required for leadership success. Then, you’ll learn five tips for improving your self-regulation skills.

What is self-regulation?

Self-regulation, also known as self-management or self-discipline, is the capacity to manage one’s emotions and conduct. In order to regulate your emotions, rather than burying or ignoring them, you focus on how you respond to situations.

Self-regulation skills allow you to keep your cool and react appropriately to different situations. And with that, you can avoid acting rashly, recover quickly from setbacks, and relax even when experiencing intense emotions. Simply put, self-regulation places you in charge of your emotions and reactions rather than your environment or other people.

The five elements of self-regulation

Self-regulation has five essential elements for leadership success: self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability and innovation.

Self-control

How well you control your behaviour, regulate your emotions, and rein in your impulses is referred to as having “self-control.” High self-control leaders are logical and composed. They establish an orderly and stable workplace and effectively convey their messages.

Trustworthiness

You’re more likely to behave consistently and morally when you’re adept at controlling your emotional behaviour. That establishes you as a trustworthy leader who doesn’t give in to erratic actions in the eyes of your team. Regardless of any potential emotional setbacks, your team knows they can rely on you.

Conscientiousness

Your level of discipline and responsibility is referred to as conscientiousness. You will accept responsibility for your performance rather than place the blame for your actions on your team or outside factors. Conscientious leaders control their emotions, keep their word, and set an example for their team.

Adaptability

Adaptability is how well you can deal with sudden changes and stress that comes out of nowhere. If you don’t have this trait, you might break under pressure or show a lot of stress, anxiety, and worry when things aren’t clear. Your staff will only be scared by such actions. So, to be effective, you need to be good at figuring out whether your responses will lead to good or bad results.

Innovation

You’re more likely to see obstacles as learning opportunities and to be receptive to novel concepts if you have strong self-regulation. You’ll take a step back and cultivate a mental state that enables you to think creatively and come up with fresh, original ideas rather than getting mired in a problem or sinking during times of workplace turbulence.

Five tips for improving self-regulation

So, how can you improve your self-regulation skills?

Rather than avoiding your feelings or seeking temporary distractions, you’ll need to confront those emotions head-on and learn to deal with them effectively. In this section, you’ll learn five tips for improving your self-regulation.

Prepare for the emotion. Consider methods for calming down before an emotion arises.

Practice mindful observation. Mindfully observe your feelings without judgment.

Take time to STOPP. Stop, take a breath, observe your feelings, pull back before taking action, and then proceed.

Practice letting go. Don’t let yourself become consumed by unfavourable feelings. Instead, set your sights on the years to come.

Reframe through cognitive reappraisal. You can reframe your thoughts by adjusting how you interpret the events that have occurred.

The key takeaways

Self-regulation is the capacity to manage one’s emotions and conduct. It allows you to keep your cool and react appropriately to different situations. High self-control leaders establish an orderly and stable workplace.

You’re more likely to behave consistently and morally when you’re adept at controlling your emotional behaviour. You’re more likely to see obstacles as learning opportunities and to be receptive to novel concepts if you have strong self-regulation.

You’ll cultivate a mental state that enables you to think creatively and come up with fresh, original ideas.

Five tips for improving your self-regulation skills: prepare for the emotion; practice mindful observation; take time to STOPP; practice letting go, and reframe through cognitive reappraisal.