Whether it be meeting end-of-year deadlines, assessing next year’s strategy or purchasing last-minute presents, seasonal stress can arrive at any time.

BCU Advantage has five helpful tips on how nurturing your emotional intelligence can ensure you get to enjoy the holiday season – without the high stress levels.

• Improve your self-awareness
  
  You’re bound to feel a whole host of emotions during this period, including excitement, exhaustion and – quite possibly – boredom. When these emotions do arise, try to recognise your feelings as quickly as possible. If you evaluate your emotions, it will help you manage them and react in a more measured way.

• Self-regulation
  
  It’s nice to create a festive atmosphere in the office, but a little self-regulation can go a long way. Try not to let the busyness of December get in the way of achieving your end-of-year work objectives. By managing your impulses, adapting your approach to work and being open to feedback, you’ll be able to see your way through the thick white snow of uncertainty.

• Motivation
  
  Without motivation from Santa Claus, reindeers and elves alike, millions of children wouldn’t get the presents they deserved. It’s important to have a positive attitude during this particularly busy period. By aligning yourself to your team’s goals, and remaining optimistic throughout, you will be ready and willing for the New Year.

• Empathy
  
  Christmas is a time for giving, so having empathy is essential. Don’t forget, it won’t just be yourself feeling stressed, anxious or excited during this period at work – your colleagues will no doubt have the same emotions. Recognising and anticipating the needs of your clients and colleagues, as well as supporting others to progress and cultivate new opportunities, will be the perfect gift to your workplace.

• Social skills
  
  The development of good interpersonal skills is vital to success in your life and career. Social skills cover a wide variety of areas – leadership, influence, conflict management, collaboration and teamwork. This time of year is the perfect opportunity for people to utilise these skills as many end of year reviews, party planning, and preparation for next year will all involve multiple individuals.

• Give a gift of your emotional intelligence this Christmas
  
  Building emotional intelligence in your business and in future talent is key to developing a pleasant and successful workplace. Birmingham City University are looking to business professionals to get involved in their 10 week professional mentoring programme in either January or May to mentor and teach budding students about emotional intelligence and any other industry skills you would be willing to provide.

With Christmas coming, these top five tips will help you reassess your business strategy and improve your communications. Whether or not you’ll be able to work just one day a year, though, remains to be seen…

For more information on how you and your business can get involved in this exciting New Year opportunity, contact Frankie Galati via email at mentoring@bcu.ac.uk