7 Daily Practices to Tap Into Higher Emotions at Work for Success

Ever noticed how your best work happens when you're feeling inspired, grateful, or in awe? That's the power of higher emotion at work. Unlike everyday feelings like frustration or boredom, higher emotions—gratitude, inspiration, wonder, joy—actually expand your thinking and boost your performance. Science shows that tapping into these elevated emotional states isn't just good for your wellbeing; it transforms how you collaborate, create, and connect professionally.

When you access higher emotion regularly, your brain releases neurochemicals that enhance focus, creativity, and resilience. In fact, research from positive psychology pioneers shows that professionals who practice higher emotion techniques experience 31% greater productivity and report significantly higher job satisfaction. The good news? You don't need hour-long meditation retreats to experience these benefits—just these seven simple daily practices.

Ready to transform your workday with some practical emotional intelligence techniques? These higher emotion practices take just minutes but deliver lasting impact on your professional life.

3 Quick Higher Emotion Practices for Your Morning Routine

Starting your day with higher emotion practices sets a powerful tone for everything that follows. These three morning techniques prime your brain for positive engagement and peak performance.

First, try the 60-second gratitude scan. Before checking emails, close your eyes and identify three specific work-related things you're genuinely grateful for—maybe a supportive colleague, an interesting project, or even just your comfortable chair. This simple higher emotion practice activates your brain's reward centers, creating an immediate positivity boost.

Second, incorporate a brief "awe moment" into your morning. Spend 90 seconds looking at something that inspires wonder—the sky from your window, a stunning piece of architecture, or even photos of space on your phone. This stress reduction technique literally expands your thinking by shifting your brain into a more receptive, creative state.

Finally, practice purpose-setting instead of just task-setting. Before diving into your to-do list, take a moment to connect your day's work to something meaningful. Ask: "How does today's work serve something I value?" This higher emotion technique transforms mundane tasks by linking them to your deeper motivations.

4 Higher Emotion Techniques to Use Throughout Your Workday

Maintaining access to higher emotion throughout busy workdays requires strategic micro-practices. These four techniques serve as emotional reset buttons whenever you need them.

The "appreciation pause" takes just 20 seconds but delivers powerful results. Before or after meetings, consciously identify something you appreciate about a colleague's contribution. Expressing this appreciation—even just mentally—activates higher emotion centers in your brain, improving collaboration and creative thinking.

Next, try the "perspective shift" technique whenever you face frustration. Ask yourself: "What might I learn from this challenge?" or "How might this problem look five years from now?" This higher emotion practice instantly transforms negative emotions into curiosity and openness.

The "30-second breath reset" works as an emotional palate cleanser between tasks. Take three slow breaths while imagining inhaling clarity and exhaling tension. This mindfulness technique helps you transition between activities with renewed focus and emotional balance.

Finally, create "inspiration triggers" in your workspace—small visual reminders of what inspires you professionally. This might be a quote, image, or object that reconnects you to higher emotion whenever you notice it. These environmental cues serve as continuous invitations to access more elevated emotional states.

Measuring Your Higher Emotion Progress at Work

How do you know if your higher emotion practices are working? Look for these three indicators: increased creative solutions to problems, improved relationships with colleagues, and greater resilience during challenges.

Try this simple tracking method: at day's end, rate your overall emotional state from 1-10, noting which higher emotion practices you used. After two weeks, you'll spot patterns revealing which techniques work best for you. Many professionals discover that even brief higher emotion practices create compounding benefits over time.

Ready to take your practice further? The next level involves helping others access higher emotion at work. When you share an inspiring resource, express genuine appreciation, or simply model emotional intelligence, you create a ripple effect of positive impact. This "emotional contagion" phenomenon means your individual higher emotion practices can actually transform your entire team's experience.

By incorporating these seven higher emotion practices into your workday, you're not just improving how you feel—you're fundamentally enhancing how you work, create, and connect professionally. The best higher emotion guide is the one you'll actually use consistently, so start with just one technique today.