Pause. Reflect. Respond. — My EI Journey 🌱
Our two-day Emotional Intelligence session was less by Puja ma’am and Hardik sir, was not about what we do at work and more about how we show up at work.
And honestly, there were quite a few “Ohhh… that’s me!” moments. 😄
🌪️ Day 1 — Learning to Pause
We started with the VUCA world — a world that is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous.
One thing that stayed with me was the idea of our Invisible Backpack 🎒.
We all walk into work carrying things others may not see — expectations, overthinking, fear of judgement, excitement, pressure and so much more.
Then came my BIG takeaway:
🧠 Amygdala Hijack
Sometimes something triggers us and our emotional brain reacts before our logical brain gets a chance to catch up.
TRIGGER → SPACE → RESPONSE
That little SPACE is powerful.
Instead of reacting immediately:
Pause. Breathe. Think. Respond.
My personal trigger to work on?
👉 Jumping to conclusions and making assumptions.
My new little habit?
👉 Create space before I respond.
🪟 Day 2 — Looking at Myself Through a Different Window
Day 2 got a little more personal with the Johari Window.
It made me look at:
What I see in myself 👀
Sensitive, emotional, overthinking, helpful, sometimes taking on too much.
What others see in me 👀
Confident, vocal, dedicated, multitasking, always on my toes… and sometimes, a little too serious or too fast! 😄
And then came the interesting part — Blind Spots.
Things others notice about us that we may not notice ourselves.
For me:
- Always rushing
- Speaking very fast
- Taking on too much
It was a good reminder that self-awareness isn’t about judging yourself. It’s about noticing yourself.
🌧️ And then came RAIN
A simple tool to work with emotions:
R — Recognize
A — Accept
I — Investigate
N — Nurture
When I feel rushed or anxious, especially when 3–4 things are happening together, I now have another little tool to reach for.
Pause. Notice. Understand. Then respond.
🪞 My biggest takeaway from these two days?
I don’t need to become a different person.
I just need to become a more aware version of myself.
And perhaps leadership starts there too —
understanding yourself, trusting others, pausing before reacting, and knowing when to say, “I don’t have to do it all myself.” 🌱
Two days. Lots of reflection. A few uncomfortable truths. And many “that’s so me!” moments. 😄
Learning. Unlearning. Growing. 💙