Back in March, in the midst of a lightning-fast shift to remote work, on top of upending markets and quarterly plans that quickly went out the window, a lot of us adopted the just keep swimming approach. But as we enter September, pick our heads up and realize that we're somehow nearly three-quarters through the year, the "I just need to get through this day / week / month" mantras are falling short — and failing to paper over the cracks that are starting to emerge.

Emotions have always run high at startups, where plans and priorities can change on a dime. And with each pivot brings a spike — not just in the startup's operating rhythm, but to the emotions of each human involved in pulling off these feats. The comfort zone is a place rarely visited in these fast-paced work environments, but it's feeling more out of reach than ever.

6 Small Steps for Handling the Emotional Ups and Downs at Work

While productivity gurus preach hacks for cramming more into your day, advice for managing your emotions in the workplace is less free flowing. It can be a tricky needle to thread — the counsel is often either too broad, falling into a cliche to take up a meditation practice, or too narrow, lacking in tactics we all can apply.

Here at the Review, we've long gathered insights from seasoned startup veterans and psychology experts alike who have shared how exactly to better manage emotions at work. We plucked out some of our favorite tactics that may seem small, but still pack a punch. While some of these tips are centered around managing a team, there are plenty of takeaways for anyone looking to more effectively bridge the gap between emotions and actions at work.

Included are tips from experts who aren't just passionate about building a healthy mindset in and out of the office — they've made a career out of it.

• Dr. Emily Anhalt, Psy.D and co-founder of Coa, a mental health and community-focused startup
• Liz Fosslien, Head of Content at Humu and author of "No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work"
• The team at LifeLabs Learning, a research-backed training program for cultivating people skills at work
• Scott Crabtree, founder and Chief Happiness Officer at Happy Brain Science
• Katia Verresen, executive coach
• Esther Perel, famed psychotherapist

Whether you're a founder steering a company through a crisis, a manager struggling to support your team through tumultuous times, or just trying to tune out all the outside noise while you tackle your to-do list, one thing is clear: Every emotion you feel sits beside you at your desk — whether you realize it or not.

Grounded in tactics you can weave into your everyday, this roundup of must-reads includes advice for making sure that sidekick enables a winning attitude even when it feels as though you're barely treading water.

Thanks, as always, for reading and sharing!

-The Review editors

Resources worth sharing: 

• A science journalist explains your body's "surge capacity" — and why it might be behind your exhaustion.
• Borrow these nine tips from Google's remote work policy — courtesy of Inc.
• If your role involves responding to lots of requests from others, use this tip from one PM on the power of friction.
• One startup founder shared her tips and solutions for building an app — even as a non-technical founder without the support of a tech team.

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