Emotions at Work
At Nimble Up, we believe people are people are people. You don’t suddenly become a robot when you clock in. And yet, in professional settings, many of us were taught, directly or indirectly, that emotions don’t belong at work. We’ve been encouraged to repress them, disguise them, or reduce them to vague answers like “fine” or “good.”
But emotions are always with us. They shape how we think, how we connect, and how we perform. When our emotional wellbeing is strong, it shows up in small but powerful ways, like being able to name and talk about how we’re really feeling. Not only does this help us personally, it also builds healthier, more effective workplaces.
What We Get Wrong About Emotions
Too often, people use action words instead of feeling words (“I feel attacked,” “I feel ignored”), or stick to broad strokes like “I‘m good” rather than identifying what’s actually happening inside. Others repress emotions entirely until they leak out as disengagement or conflict.
But our emotions don’t disappear. They show up physiologically—tightness in the chest, butterflies in the stomach, flushed cheeks, or clenched jaws. Our bodies are constantly giving us clues, if we slow down enough to notice.
A Better Way Forward
In Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown reminds us that accurately naming an experience doesn’t give it more power. It gives us power. Naming an emotion helps us understand it, make meaning of it, and choose how to respond. Brown organizes emotions into categories she calls “places we go when…”—like places we go when life is good or places we go when we feel wronged.
In the coming weeks, we’ll explore five of those “places” most common in work life:
Places we go when things don’t go as planned
Places we go when we search for connection
Places we go when we fall short
Places we go when things are uncertain or too much
Places we go when things aren’t what they seem
In each post, we’ll break down the default emotions people often name, expand on the deeper range of feelings that might actually be present, and share how greater emotional clarity benefits both you and the people you work with.
Want to Go Deeper?
And if you’re ready to dive deeper, Nimble Up offers a 2-hour virtual workshop dedicated to emotions at work. In it, your team will build the language and skills to move past “fine” and into authentic, effective communication. Learn more HERE.