Manage emotions and stress in leadership with communication skills?

Acknowledging your emotions is important and identifying what caused them. Take a deep breathe, pause, and give yourself a moment to think more clearly. Allow yourself to process your emotions and it will provide clarity and enable you to think more clearly before responding. A brief walk outside or stepping into the sunlight, even if for only 5 minutes gives me a sense of calm.

Using communication skills to manage emotions and stress in leadership: 1-Self-awareness: Recognize and acknowledge your emotions to address stress effectively. 2-Active listening: Listen attentively to understand others' perspectives and concerns. 3-Empathy: Show understanding and compassion towards team members' emotions. 4-Emotional regulation: Control emotional reactions during challenging situations. 5-Clear communication: Express thoughts and expectations clearly to avoid misunderstandings. 6-Constructive feedback: Provide feedback in a supportive and respectful manner. 7-Conflict resolution: Address conflicts promptly and facilitate open dialogue. 8-Time management: Prioritize tasks and set realistic goals to reduce stress.

Once you found your calm and clarity, this is helpful when responding to a challenging email full of perceived emotions. When there is potential to take things out of context, pick up the phone and have a conversation. Much is lost in translation of emails because we read them in the state of mind we are in (not necessarily the state the person writing the communication had intended) and our emotional state impacts how we interpret what we are reading. For conversations where emotions are high, seek to understand the other persons perspective. Avoid reacting to the emotion and find common ground. That can mean giving someone else space to calm themselves and reflect before further dialogue.

It is perfectly acceptable to share how you are feeling emotionally. Helping someone else understand the impact of their actions on you emotionally has the potential to remedy a difficult situation, it also provides a learning opportunity for you and them to enable a more productive conversation and drive effective interactions in the future.

The saying, “we all need a little help from our friend” goes a long way. Asking people we trust (friends, family, and colleagues) will help you see different perspectives and reduce blind spots we may have. It is crucial to find people that are will and confident enough to tell you want your need to hear, not just want you want to hear. Challenging your way of think or perspective will help you grow versus a hype person that is just going to make you feel better in the moment and limit your growth potential.

This step is prominent. We must not feel wrong for not knowing how to manage emotions and stress. It is a learning curve. We seek advice from loved ones and implement them. If it works, great; if not, then we learn. Having a positive attitude towards self is essential.