EQ@Work

When you're emotionally intelligent, you can navigate the complexities of your feelings, which is essential for motivation. Emotional Intelligence enables you to connect with your intrinsic motivations - those deep-seated desires and passions that drive you from within. By understanding what truly resonates with you, you can align your goals with your values and create a powerful source of motivation that doesn't waver.

An EQ Change-Maker is someone who not only harnesses the power of their own emotions for personal & professional change but also influences and inspires positive change in others. It's about being a catalyst for growth, and transformation – a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone & embrace change, motivating others to do the same. Being a change-maker at work can have a significant and positive impact on your professional growth.

Extending yourself grace means embracing self-compassion - allowing yourself to feel, and pause from the 'doing,' from the daily hustle to take the time out you need to refuel & recharge. It means giving yourself a break when you fail to achieve the milestones that you'd set. It means giving yourself a breather when the going gets tough & you need a time-out. It also means forgiving yourself when you mess up & fall short of your expectations.

In this EQ@Work Podcast episode, as part of a series to celebrate mental health awareness, Mucha shares strategies for Overcoming Performance Anxiety

I am one of those people who can't seem to stop "doing…" And for the longest time I wore my doing-ability as a badge of honour, proud of my ability to push down the feelings of overwhelm to deliver on tasks and assignments, validated by the applause or appreciation I received. But I have learned that dealing with the feelings of being overwhelmed every day isn't sustainable. And trying to just 'push through' only leads to something much worse: burnout.

In this episode, as part of the series celebrate mental health awareness month, Mucha shares strategies for managing overwhelm. I share strategies to manage overwhelm.

I didn't think depression was real until I experienced it for myself. I figured it was one of those 'western' ailments – used as an excuse by people who were not strong enough to deal with life.

Boy was I wrong. Mental health challenges are real!

As part of a series of episodes dedicated to mental health awareness month, this episode explores why your feelings matter

Because fear is uncomfortable & often keeps us stuck, blocking us from moving, it's easy to see fear as the "bad guy" & people often talk about fear as a "bad feeling" or a "negative emotion" – or even weakness. A more useful view is that fear, like all emotions, is a message – insight from yourself to yourself that you need to pay attention to.

Reading the message takes Emotional Intelligence – which is thoughtfully using the data from our feelings to make better decisions.

The current state of global mental health is a cause for concern.  And it seems to be getting worse.  The pandemic, unsurprisingly, generally eroded people's mental & emotional wellbeing.  But declining mental health goes back before the pandemic started.  The WHO reports a 13% rise in mental health conditions since 2017.  This is a long-standing issue.  And it is a conversation that we need to have more often. 

Our mental health affects how we think and feel about ourselves and others, how we interpret events, how we learn, how we cope with life events and how we develop and sustain relationships. 

Mental health, along with emotional, physical health and social well-being, is an essential component of overall health.  

Over the last few days, I have been struck again by how powerful our emotions are. I found myself in a funk & as I pulled out my EQ arsenal – ready to do battle & get myself back on course, I marvelled at how easy it is to get stuck in emotional patterns that do not serve us well.

Listen to this episode as I share some key insights about the power of emotions

International Women's Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate women – and the strides that they have made. It is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Across the globe, women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

As the world spends another day celebrating what women have been able to accomplish regardless of the many barriers they face, I invite you to celebrate you!