Legal & General Construction Wellbeing Programme · Talk 9 of 10
Understanding Your Emotions
Toolbox Talk: Why Feelings Matter at Work
At a Glance
Emotions are information. Anger, anxiety, frustration and sadness are not signs of weakness, they are signals that something needs attention. In a sector where expressing feelings is seen as 'soft,' suppressed emotions create real health risks. Workers who understand and manage their emotions make safer decisions, communicate better, and recover faster from adversity.
In the Ownminder App · Managing Mood & Mindset
The Managing Mood & Mindset section provides tools to understand, regulate and rebalance your emotional state, going beyond 'calming down' to building lasting emotional intelligence.
- Grounding: Six techniques (Feet Grounding, Water, Countdown, Move It!, Grounding Object, Calming Scent) to bring yourself back from an emotional spike to the present moment.
- Gratitude: Daily three-thing gratitude practice activates the Soothing System and counters the negativity bias, building a more stable emotional baseline over time.
- Move It!: Physical movement is the fastest way to break down adrenaline and cortisol after an emotional reaction, walk it off, literally.
- Alone Time: Scheduled quiet time away from distractions gives emotions space to be processed rather than suppressed, essential for emotional regulation.
- Optimism, Three Good Things: End-of-day practice: three good things that happened today. Retrains the brain away from the negativity bias that emotional suppression amplifies.
Discussion Questions
- Prof Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety as believing you will not be punished for speaking up. In construction, emotional expression is often suppressed because of exactly this fear. What one thing could change on this site to make emotions safer to acknowledge?
- Growing up, what messages did you receive about expressing feelings, and how has that shaped you?
- What emotions tend to show up for you under pressure, and how do you typically handle them?
- Have you ever reacted to something at work in a way you later regretted, what was underneath it?
- What would it look like if everyone on this site felt safe to be honest about how they were feeling?
- What one step will you take to become more aware of your emotional responses this week?
Recognising the Signs
Emotional suppression shows up as: a short fuse (anger as the only 'acceptable' emotion), numbing through screens or substances, physical symptoms such as tension headaches and tight chest, difficulty identifying what you're feeling, and a sense of emptiness or disconnection. For many men in construction, anger is the one socially acceptable outlet, but beneath it is often anxiety, grief or overwhelm. The GCU MindBuilder Study found that peer-facilitated discussion, exactly the format of this Toolbox Talk, is the most effective approach to normalising emotional awareness in male-dominated industries. You being here, having this conversation, is the intervention.
Things to Try
Open Ownminder and explore the Managing Mood & Mindset section. Daily practices that build emotional intelligence:
- Name what you're feeling, research shows labelling an emotion reduces its intensity
- Before reacting, pause: ask 'What is this actually about?'
- Use the app's gratitude or three good things tools to process feelings daily
- Learn the difference between reacting (automatic) and responding (chosen)
- Share how you're feeling with one trusted person, it builds emotional muscle
Better Safety
Workers who manage emotions make more considered decisions, reducing impulsive actions that cause accidents.
Stronger Teams
Emotional intelligence improves communication, reduces conflict and builds trust.
Mental Health Protection
Processed emotions don't accumulate, suppressed ones do, leading to breakdown.
Support
MHFA on site · Ownminder Managing Mood & Mindset module · EAP (free, confidential) · Samaritans 116 123 · Ownminder app (QR code)
Attendance Declaration
I have attended this toolbox talk, heard the content, and know where to access Ownminder, MHFA, EAP and crisis support if I need it.
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Signature
Standard 11 (Culture, psychological safety) · Standard 2 (Senior Leadership) · Standard 9 (Health Promotion)
NEF: Take Notice
Lever 5: Challenges masculine norms that label emotional awareness as weakness