Emotional intelligence: How to beat the stress and distraction cycle

An inability to focus and a high level of stress go hand in hand. Use EQ to avoid burnout
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CIO Manage Your Work, Manage Your Life

We live in an era of distractions. With so much competing for our attention on a daily basis, distractions can hijack our focus, leaving us feeling frazzled. That’s why distractions and stress often go hand in hand.

[ Does EQ hold you back? See also: 10 emotional intelligence must-reads for leaders. ]

Kandi Wiens writes in an HBR article, “When we can’t focus at work because of distractions, it may lead us to feel stressed about not being productive, which then causes us to focus less, further feeding the cycle. Unfortunately, most of us don’t notice our focus declining until we become completely overwhelmed.”

In her research, Wiens found a key difference between people who experience burn out from this cycle, and those who don't – emotional intelligence. Download this article to learn the key EQ competencies that can help you break the stress and distraction cycle and get your focus back.

Carla Rudder is a community manager and program manager for The Enterprisers Project. She enjoys bringing new authors into the community and helping them craft articles that showcase their voice and deliver novel, actionable insights for readers.