PSC 10 – Identifying your emotions and your stress
Because what you don't name… governs you.
You're tense, you can feel it. But is it irritation? Anxiety? Tiredness? You say you're stressed, but in reality… you haven't put a precise word to what you're feeling.
And that's the whole point of PSC 10, identifying your emotions and your stress: learning to put the right words to your inner state. Not to "dramatise". But to act better.
Why it's a key competency An emotion isn't just a passing feeling. It's a message from the body and the brain. As long as you don't read it, you risk reacting rather than responding.
A leader who doesn't identify their stress will confuse tiredness with lack of motivation. A manager who ignores their frustration will make their team pay for it. A professional who piles up tensions without naming them will end up exploding… or collapsing.
Identifying what you feel is taking back control. It's moving from confusion to clarity.
How do you do it? It starts with stepping out of the fog. Stress? It doesn't have a single cause, or a single form. Emotion? It lodges in the body, translates into thoughts, influences your decisions.
👉 Regularly ask yourself these 3 questions:
- What am I feeling, right now?
- Where do I feel it in my body?
- Is it an emotion or a deeper warning signal?
And if it's unclear: use a wheel of emotions, or even a logbook for a few days. You'll see: by training yourself to name, you train yourself to master.
Why it's strategic for leaders Want to keep a cool head? Start by recognising when it's heating up. Want to act with precision? Learn to spot when you're thrown off balance. Want to create a calm emotional climate around you? Start by creating it within yourself.
PSC 10 isn't about "doing psychology". It's about training your emotional intelligence, and above all, your ability to act with clarity.
🎯 Today's micro-action: At each change of task or place during the day, take 20 seconds to note:
• My energy (0 to 10)
• My main emotion (anger, fear, joy, sadness, etc.)
• A word to describe my physical state (tense, relaxed, numb, etc.):
You'll start to see patterns. And to be able to manage them.
Tomorrow, we move on: PSC 11, expressing your emotions positively. Because identifying isn't enough, you also need to know how to express it without hurting.
Warm wishes,
Krumma
