PSC 12 – Managing emotions: You can’t always avoid the wave

But you can learn to surf it.

You can’t always choose what you feel — but you can choose how to respond. A judging look, a tense meeting, an inappropriate comment… and suddenly your whole nervous system reacts. The question isn’t whether you feel strong emotions — it’s how you regulate them so you don’t explode… or implode.

That’s exactly what PSC 12 – The ability to manage emotions – is about. Not to become a machine, but to become more human, fair, and stable.

It’s not the emotion that’s the problem

It’s letting it take the wheel.

Emotions aren’t good or bad — they’re messengers. But without regulation, they turn into storms. And when you’re a leader, an unregulated emotional storm can shake an entire team.

👉 Managing emotions isn’t about hiding them. 👉 It’s about choosing how to turn them into useful information and aligned, fair action.

Want to try it together? SSSTOPPPP – Emotional regulation edition

A simple exercise to avoid being swept away by the wave.

S – Stand up: get up.
S – Shake your body: stretch or do three free movements to release tension.
S – Sit down: sit, relax your shoulders, ground your feet.
T – Take a breath: inhale through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth (at least three times).
O – Observe: what emotion is present? Where in your body? How intense?
P – Plan: what do you want to feel, how do you want to act, what would be a constructive behavior?
P – Prepare: what needs to happen to move from the first state to the second? Do what’s necessary.
P – Proceed: act consciously.
P – Pulse: after the event or meeting, check in — what happened? How did it go?

🎯 Micro-action of the day

Spot your next strong emotion (exasperation, anxiety, frustration…). Don’t react right away. Launch an SSSTOPPPP. Remember, it can take 45 minutes or 3 seconds — both count.

Then observe: what would you have done without the pause? What did you do after? What’s the difference?

Managing your emotions means no longer being ruled by them. It’s learning to surf — even when the sea is rough.



Tomorrow, we’ll move on to PSC 13 – Regulating everyday stress.
See you tomorrow (or sooner if you’d like to talk about it).

Krumma