A weapon of working woman

Googling 'How women can be less emotional at work' generated 630,000,000 search-engine results that give us an idea of the magnitude of the problem. Life of a working woman is stressful, which has a tremendous effect on her emotional, physical and mental health. Women play multiple roles, ie mother, daughter, wife, sister, boss, subordinates etc, doing multitasking and hence getting exposed to multiple emotions. Specially, working moms struggling to balance work-life go through a dilemma in daily life as to what to prioritize, what not, and how to manage both work and home. They feel guilty of not having quality time with family and also for not working. Amy Westervelt explains the situation in her book 'Forget having it all' as "We expect women to work like they don't have children and raise children as if they don't work".

Women at work need to develop strategies for managing stress to maintain harmony of worklife. Emotional intelligence is the key strength for them by mastering how to self-regulate, manage negative emotions, ability to bounce back quickly after setbacks, developing a mindset to combat a gender-biased world and become successful in personal and professional life.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand, use and manage our own and others' emotions positively to relieve stress, communicate effectively, solve problems and overcome challenges. EI helps us to set priorities as to what matters most, engage constructively with others' emotions and take informed decisions. Today, EQ is considered a vital trait for leadership in business, mattering twice as much as IQ and technical skills. Developing EI empowers a woman with skills to understand and manage their emotions to respond more thoughtfully, mindfully or rationally rather than impulsively or negatively at workplace. For women, it's a secret tool to regulate environment in the professional atmosphere where they're subject to systematic gender bias. There are enough evidences that successful professionals thrive because of the EI because they can manage themselves appropriately in stressful situations.

To master EI skills we need to have a deeper understanding of ourselves and examine our behavioral patterns, emotions and reactions in different situations. Then we've to challenge ourselves to separate facts from feelings so that it doesn't make our decisions biased at the workplace. Also, we need to address our negative emotions like anxiety or frustration and adjust our approach consciously. Managing difficult conversation confidently by active listening, asking questions for more information, remaining focused are also effective practice of developing emotional intelligence. Ability to embrace genuine constructive criticism about ourselves and taking the feedback positively without being judgmental or egoistic is also important for self-development. Women are more likely than men to be emotionally intelligent. They tend to have a better understanding of other people's emotions, which helps them communicate more effectively and effectively manage conflict.

Women are often vulnerable to the effect of imposter syndrome, a psychological condition, when they doubt their abilities and suffer from a feeling of intellectual or professional inadequacy. Sometimes, high-achieving women experience this syndrome leading to low self-esteem, professional insecurity, emotional exhaustion and family conflict. The social stereotype perception of woman as weak or incompetent reinforces their negative self-beliefs and intensify the anxiety. For those who're suffering in imposter should give yourselves some credit for their past achievements, reclaim their self-worth, replace self-doubt with self-confidence to move forward. Be aware that it's normal to feel like this but it's not all okay to allow the imposter to take hold of your mind. instead of hiding it away you should seek solace from mentors who you can depend on, express how you feel and take it as an opportunity to learn what you don't know to reach new heights. To overcome fear and uproot imposter let your inner-critic recognize your weaknesses and bring you back on positive track to take action. Celebrate your achievement and dream about where you still want to go.

Women seem to have a greater desire for giving, receiving and expressing affection than men. Unlike men, their self-esteem depends more on their quality of relationships than their career. It doesn't mean they don't prioritize their career, but a low-quality relationship lacking affection lowers their self-esteem and their perceived self-worth. A little empathy, affection and co-operation at home and work boost their spirits and go a long way in their career progression. Let us commit to supporting and empowering each other on this journey, breaking barriers, and creating a workplace culture that values emotional wellbeing as a key driver of success.

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