5 Workplace EQ Exercises to Increase Your EQ During Your Daily Commute
Stuck in traffic or packed on a train? That daily commute might feel like wasted time, but it's actually the perfect opportunity to increase your EQ. Emotional intelligence—your ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions—isn't just a buzzword. It's a powerful skill set that research shows can boost your workplace performance by up to 58%. The best part? You can develop these abilities during time you're already spending getting to and from work.
Your commute offers a unique window for emotional preparation before diving into workplace dynamics. These five quick exercises transform that "dead time" into valuable training to increase your EQ. Whether you drive, take public transport, or walk to work, these mental energy management techniques fit seamlessly into your existing routine.
By practicing these targeted exercises consistently, you'll arrive at work emotionally prepared, mentally centered, and ready to navigate interpersonal challenges with greater ease. Ready to turn your commute into an EQ gym?
How to Increase Your EQ with Simple Commute Exercises
The journey to increase your EQ doesn't require hours of dedicated practice. These five exercises take just minutes but deliver significant emotional intelligence benefits when practiced consistently during your daily commute.
Exercise 1: The Emotion Scan
This quick body awareness technique helps you identify and label your emotional state before entering the workplace:
- Close your eyes briefly (if you're not driving)
- Take three deep breaths
- Mentally scan your body from head to toe
- Notice areas of tension, energy, or discomfort
- Name the emotion associated with these physical sensations
Simply naming emotions reduces their intensity by up to 30%, according to neuroscience research. This emotional awareness practice creates the foundation for all other EQ skills.
Exercise 2: Perspective Shift
Mentally rehearse an upcoming challenging interaction from multiple viewpoints:
- Visualize the situation from your perspective
- Shift to see it through the other person's eyes
- Consider it from an objective third-party view
This exercise strengthens cognitive empathy, a core component to increase your EQ and improve workplace relationships.
Exercise 3: Gratitude Priming
Before arriving at work, identify three specific aspects of your workplace you're genuinely grateful for. These might be supportive colleagues, meaningful projects, or even simple pleasures like your favorite coffee spot. This positive emotional priming creates a buffer against workplace stressors.
Exercise 4: Breath Work
Use specific breathing patterns to regulate your emotional state:
- For energy: Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts
- For calm: Inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8
These breathing techniques activate your parasympathetic nervous system, creating emotional regulation that's essential to increase your EQ in high-pressure situations.
Exercise 5: Empathy Practice
Observe fellow commuters with non-judgmental curiosity. For each person you notice, create a brief mental story about their day, challenges, or lives. This imagination exercise builds your empathy muscles and reduces unconscious bias—both crucial elements to increase your EQ.
Maximize Your EQ Growth with Consistent Commute Practice
To truly increase your EQ, consistency matters more than intensity. Track your emotional intelligence progress using simple mental benchmarks:
- How quickly do you recover from emotional triggers?
- Are you noticing emotions earlier before they escalate?
- Has your prediction accuracy of others' reactions improved?
For shorter commutes, combine exercises strategically. A 10-minute commute might include a 2-minute Emotion Scan followed by 3 minutes each of Breath Work and Gratitude Priming. Longer commutes allow for deeper practice of all five techniques.
Consider real-world applications: When Sarah, a marketing director, began these practices, she noticed immediate improvements in her ability to navigate difficult client conversations. "I used to get defensive immediately," she explains. "Now I can recognize that reaction and choose a more productive response."
The compounding effect of small daily practices creates meaningful change. Each day you practice these exercises to increase your EQ, you're strengthening neural pathways that make emotional intelligence more automatic.
Ready to transform your commute from wasted time to EQ training ground? These five simple exercises provide a practical framework to increase your EQ without adding extra time to your day. Your future workplace interactions—and career trajectory—will thank you.
