Here's how you can use emotional intelligence to handle work-related pressure and stress.

There are external and internal triggers. Most people tend to think of external triggers and have this idea that once these are removed, all will be well. While this is sometimes true, most cases of serious stress are connected to internal triggers. Which beliefs and patterns make me react this or that way. Self-awareness, the first component of EQ, helps to identify these triggers.

Navegar por la vida sin conocer a la persona más importante en ella, es como andar en barco sin capitán. La persona más importante en nuestras vidas somos nosotros mismos. Por tanto, es fundamental conocernos bien. Saber lo que nos gusta y por qué nos gusta. Saber lo que nos irrita y por qué nos irrita. Saber lo que nos entusiasma y por qué nos entusiasma. Saber lo que nos hiere y por qué nos hiere. Y así podría continuar con una lista interminable. Para conocernos bien hay que hacer un trabajo interno. Es decir, hay que pasar tiempo con nosotros mismos. Y eso solo se hace apagando el ruido externo y retirarnos un rato a nuestra "habitación interna". De esta manera descubriremos cuáles son los disparadores de nuestro estrés.

This can take deep listening. Spend time at the end of each day noticing times that you experienced stress through the day. Spend a week writing down the stressful events of the day. At the end of the week, review them. Do you want to start with the big ones or small ones? A valueable piece of advice I once had was start with the small ones that can be solved in a phone call or a 5 minute activity (like fixing the squeaking door with WD40). Sometimes when we have accomplished things that frustrate us we feel more energized to take on the big stuff.

One of the key elements of emotional intelligence is self-regulation. Self-regulation helps us to understand that there can be a space between the moment we are triggered and the moment we react. When acting without self-regulation, we react immediately. With training, we can learn to delay reaction so that we can regain control of our emotions. Mindfulness is helpful with this. I also recommend the method called 'STOP'.

Motivation can be distilled when we are clear on our values. If I value collaboration, I may be more motivated to complete activities that include others. Start with the ones that have an intrinsic motivator to keep your energy and mood high.

Empathy allows us to better connect to others and to really listen to them and to understand them. So, it is crucial for team work and psychological safety. Empathy also helps with regulating emotions, reducing for example, the fight or flight response. Finally, empathy towards others means also empathy towards yourself. And vice versa. And in times of stress, it is crucial to be kind to one's self. The good news is that we can train empathy. Get yourself an emotional gym card and train those empathy muscles!

Find something to connect over. Social skills aren't natural for all people, but when you find an activity that you like to do with others, often social support can be built around it. Think of spiritual communities, sports communities, or communities like car enthusiasts at car shows.

We aren't focusing exclusively on mitigating stress at work to DEAL with stress at work. Sometimes we can enhance our life outside of work to allow the mountains at work to be there. Something in our life needs to feed our resilience, to fill our cup, in order to show up in all areas of life as we wish.