How you apply emotional intelligence at work will determine your satisfaction level
Photo by JEShoots on Unsplash
Before we dive into the juicy topic of emotional intelligence at work and how your stress management affects it, let’s pause.
Take a moment to assess how you feel right now – and how stress could be shaping your outlook in this very moment. Do a quick spot check:
How’s your posture? Hunched over a computer or phone?
Where do you feel tightness or tension?
How many windows do you have open on your device?
Have you checked email or voice mail in the past hour? How often?
When did you last eat? Did you opt for a healthy meal or snack, or did stress affect your food choices?
If you think about your to-do list, do you feel overwhelmed or accomplished?
Simply turning your attention toward how stress manifests in your life can help you get a handle on it. While stress can sometimes serve as a healthy driver that supports action, it can often become a destructive and powerful force in our lives. Letting stress go unchecked sets you up for frequent cycles of productive (but unhealthy) energy followed by crashes that can leave you feeling drained and unhappy.
Why Stress Management is an Emotional Superpower
Challenges and stress are a given in life. Not a single individual goes through life without experiencing disappointment, worry or even occasional panic. However, the people with the highest emotional intelligence exhibit healthier responses to stress.
As reported by Inc.:
“Studies show that those with higher levels of emotional intelligence are more resilient, therefore, less likely to burn out or succumb to depression. However, don't confuse resiliency with a lack of empathy or emotion. Learning self-regulation and self-management does not mean that you won't experience anger and other difficult responses. It means that you don't allow your actions to be driven by those emotions.”
Successful individuals face head-on the range of emotions that can come up throughout the day. They apply tools and strategies to help them work through those emotions before choosing a response to the situation. When they take time to work through the stress, they can carefully choose an appropriate action.
At work and in your personal life, each time you pause and strategically choose your next step, you develop more confidence in your ability to handle problems. As I asked you to do at the opening of this article, that moment of pause carries a lot of power. When you slow down and consider your choices, you likely have a lot more options than you originally assumed.
According to this HBR article on how stress affects decision-making:
“If we have to make a high-stakes decision, we either go with our first instinct or we suffer from analysis paralysis. But there are no complex challenges in the world for which there are only two possible solutions. The minute you find yourself torn between two extremes, assume that both are limited, step back, and build a broader menu of options. That’s where you’re likely to find your optimal choice.”
Making smart decisions at work, and in your personal life, will set you up for future growth and leadership potential.
How to Manage Stress
Nearly a year into a global pandemic, we all know the meaning of stress in our daily lives right now. As we all attempt to balance work, school, technology, finances and other personal concerns, we have developed an intimate appreciation for what the word challenge actually means.
Yet stress is not new – nor will it disappear once we have a better handle on life with COVID-19. Learning how to manage stress will serve us now and throughout our lives.
Right now, some of your go-to stress-reducers might be off-limits due to social distancing. That weekly bar trivia night or yoga class has been postponed indefinitely or has shifted to Zoom. If you’re like a lot of us, the last thing you need is another virtual session on the calendar, right?
So, what are some practical alternatives that don’t involve a screen or another app?
Move. You don’t need to win any body-building contests. Just find a way to exercise or move that makes you feel good. Dance, walk, do yoga, swim, etc. Exercise encourages the release of neurotransmitters that help you regulate mood and emotion.
Go outside. Taking a break from your desk can do wonders for your outlook and decision-making ability. Even better – take that break outside in fresh air to boost creativity and focus.
Listen to or play music. Music activates regions of the brain that help you manage pain, reduce stress, learn better and much more.
Meditate and breathe. No need to channel the Dalai Lama. Try a simple breathing exercise or guided visualization to calm your body’s physiological responses to stress.
Journal. Don’t cringe at the word. Even if you simply list your worries or to-dos, writing can help you rein in overwhelming thoughts.
Talk it out. Work with a career coach or counselor – or reach out to a trusted friend. Giving voice to your worries can help you better process them and work out solutions.
How well you manage stress will also impact the people around you. The people on your team, and in your home, will feel the difference when you choose to take action and reduce unhealthy responses to stress. Your improved reaction to challenges in life can help create an atmosphere of trust and peace.
To learn more about cultivating strong emotional intelligence skills that can help you go from surviving to thriving, contact me for a complimentary strategy call. I am a certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach, and I love working with high achievers committed to improving their work performance so they can get paid what they are worth and have careers aligned to their values.