Do You Recognize Your Own Stress?

We all tend to get stressed every now and then but how do we handle it? Do you recognize stress in yourself? Are you self-aware enough to recognize and manage your own stress? These are important questions to ask yourself.

Having a high Emotional Quotient (EQ) is the key to surviving in this fast-paced business world. When you are emotionally intelligent, you are more self-aware and can manage your emotions well.  The last thing you want to do is project your own stress onto others, which will not be good for you either.

Here are a few pointers that can help:

• Aim to increase your self-awareness by listening to feedback. We all have one or two people in our lives who tend to give us real feedback that we can rely on. Listening to their feedback helps you assess your own state of mind and emotions. They can help you recognize stress.
• Be mindful of your own behavior and learn to recognize stress when it happens. This could take some time and getting used to, so be patient.
• If you can identify your own stress, be on the lookout for triggers that are stressing you out and try to lessen those triggers in your life. Sometimes all it takes is to say "no" to one request, and it can make a world of difference.
• Finally, figure out one way that helps you de-stress. For some people, it could be a high-impact workout; for others it could be dancing or meditation. Figure out what works for you and be disciplined enough to take time to de-stress.

It is essential to recognize your stress and take the time to unwind so you can focus better.

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 Aditi Chopra is an experienced leader in the software industry.
She is a consultant, writer and a leader.
 LinkedIn |  Web |  Twitter | Books

Importance of Self Awareness

Emotional intelligence is the best thing that has happened to explaining leadership in a long time. If you haven't, you must read this book by Daniel Goleman

      My favorite emotional intelligence aspect is Self Awareness. Self Awareness is the hardest of all aspects to develop. I wouldn't think anyone is born with Self Awareness but how and when they acquire it can make a big difference in their lives. As a leader, this quality can be extremely useful and can make one a very effective leader.

      There are so many ways, one can use Self Awareness to their advantage. As a leader, if you are self aware, you would know your strengths and weakness very well and so when you are assembling a team, you would want to hire people with complementary strengths to yours. This way you can build a stronger team and get the work done most effectively.

     Self awareness also teaches us that no one is perfect. We all have our unique strengths and weaknesses. Those looking for perfection in themselves or others will soon realize that it is not a quality they should be looking for when hiring people.

      Another way self awareness works for you as a leader is it makes you more open to taking feedback and/or criticism in a healthy way. Without self awareness, one tends to be defensive and cannot accept feedback in stride. Accepting feedback is the key to improving yourself.

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Aditi Chopra is an experienced leader in the software industry.
She is a consultant, writer and a leader.
 LinkedIn |  Web |  Twitter | Books