You know when it's coming. You're talking to your boss, or even one of your other colleagues, and then you get that familiar lump in your throat. You know if anyone asks you if you're OK you're going to cry, but you can't leave the room either. And it's not just crying. When is it OK to get angry? Is it ever OK to show emotion at work?
I think you have to be careful when you show emotion. There's nothing wrong with doing it, but you have to bear in mind why you're doing it. If you cry at every little thing, or get angry with everyone, you'll look silly and immature. But sometimes work is really personal to people. And when it's personal and you've put your heart into a project, you're bound to be attached to it.

It's unrealistic to expect people not to get emotional in their career. Unfortunately, people don't react well to it. Cry in front of the wrong person and they'll see it as a weakness and bring it up at any given opportunity. There's still something about crying in the office that makes you appear unprofessional. And people are going to use that.

And then there's the flip of the coin. The girl who cries to get what she wants. I've worked with this girl, and if she was fighting a losing battle with our MD, out came the waterworks and then she got what she wanted. Then she'd carry on as if nothing had happened. But everyone noticed. She had the men in the office wrapped around her little finger but the women didn't like it. It was fake, and a cheap trick.
Crying is one thing, and I think if you're in control at work that's good. But if you're career spans years, it's inevitably going to happen. Popping to the bathroom, or going for a walk will help clear your head. Just don't use it to get what you want. There's no need for it.

As for getting angry, this is one of the worst things you can do professionally. Even if someone really annoys you, you've got to keep a lid on things. Because there's often no need to get angry. If there is, screaming and shouting is very rarely the answer. Even if that's what you really want to do.

I remember once I snapped at someone in the office, just once. Ten months later at my appraisal, that was brought up. It's just not a good thing. It makes the team feel bad, it makes you like horrible, and you can't be trusted to cope with something important if you're going to blow up at the tiniest little thing.

Someone once told me that you only ever raise you're voice when you're losing your argument. I think they might have a point.

There's a lot to be said for being passionate about what you do. It's really important. But if you're flying off the handle every day, you need to change