Ever hear an eternal, silent pause at work when you suggest a great idea to co-workers? Really disconcerting isn't it? When co-workers give you the cold shoulder or silent treatment, they "punish or manipulate," according to Dr. Kipling Williams. And when you get that kind of treatment, you may not fully realize all the implications. For instance silent treatment does its dirty work because people....1. Grow more distant from extended family.Another reason silence and ostracism do dirty work so effectively is brain related. When you doubt and feel anxious, cortisol, a chemical hormone literally floods your brain and nervous system. And, it throws you into a tizzy so you do not think clearly. Unless you are prepared with a tactic to move your mind from the immediate circumstance, cortisol adds to the effect of the perpetrator's purposes - to take you down. And, it usually takes about 20 minutes to recover without a good tactic. And there's more...
2. Lack support systems.
3. May not realize others are jealous of their talents.
4. Do not perceive it's a form of bullying.
5. Sometimes respond aggressively when they can't control a situation.
The part of the brain that detects pain, the anterior cingulate cortex is activated. However, the pain subsides, by immediately moving your mind to a new place. Strategies can actually bring calm and peace where storms originally blew on a destructive course. What strategies come to your mind? Here's a few I'd suggest:
1. Try a stategy a close friend advised
2. Take the group or person off-guard with a big smile or pass around some tic-tacs
3. Play music that inspires, such as Man from LaMancha in your mind's boom box
4. See yourself sitting at the best job of your dreams five years from now
5. Make plans to invite a supporting friend to lunch
Tactics such as these can empower you rather than disarm you immediately.What new game plan would move your leadership forward and bring more serotonin, a brain chemical that brings calm and peace? ...
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