This is another strategy that at first glance may appear to simple to be effective but it packs a powerful punch. Learning to self manage well requires a lot of practice. Yet, many of the situation that pose the greatest difficulty for you don't come up all that often. So, you will have a hard time forming the neural pathways needed to make your new skills habitual .... unless you learn to visualise.
Your brain has difficult time distinguishing between what you see with your eyes and what you visualise in your mind. In fact, MRI scans of people's brains taken while they are watching the sun set are virtually indistinguishable from scans taken when the same people visualised a sun set in their mind. The same brain regions are active in both scenarios.
Visualising yourself managing your emotions and behaviour effectively is a great way to practice your new skills and make them into habits. For this to work, you might want to do your visualisation in a room that is free from distractions, as you will need to immerse yourself fully in the scenes playing out in your head. A great time to visualise is before you go to bed at night. Just close your eyes and visualise yourself in situation where you have the most difficulty managing yourself. Focus on the details of each situation that make it so hard for you to remain in control; concentrate on the sides and sounds you would experience if you were actually there until you literally feel the same emotions. Next picture yourself acting the way you would like to (that is calming your nerves and proceeding confidently during a big presentation, dealing with someone who pushes your buttons without loosing your cool, etc.) Imagine yourself doing and saying the right things and allow yourself to feel the satisfaction and positive emotions that come from this. Not a bad way to end the day, don't you think? Use this strategy nightly and incorporate new challenging situations as they surface.
