Every office has them: Toxic co-workers, who – whether they know it or not – raise the stress levels of those around them.

That’s unless you use your EQ to handle them. Emotional intelligence can be your No. 1 weapon to defuse toxicity at work. The good news is, as a woman, you’re more predisposed to have a stronger EQ. 

By using those traits you can keep toxic co-workers from poisoning the rest of the your team.

4 ways to drawn on your high EQ

Drawn on these four components of emotional intelligence the next time you’re facing a toxic personality:

1. Stay aware of your own emotions. Yes, people with high EQ are known for how well they focus on the emotion of others. But they’re also extremely self-aware when it comes to their emotions. That’s a great way to keep toxic people from getting under your skin. If you understand what buttons the person is trying to push, it’ll be tougher for the toxic person to get the desire effect out of you.
2. Focus only on solutions. Emotionally intelligent people don’t harp on problems because that brings stress and negativity. Instead, you want to devote time and attention to how you’re going to improve the situation for you and your whole team.
3. Don’t forget. Forgive, for sure, but you don’t want to let yourself forget the behaviors of toxic co-workers. That’s one of the best ways to keep the situation from happening over and over.
4. Tap your support systems. Another great thing emotionally intelligent have? A group of people they can go to to bounce ideas off of and seek advice from. That’s huge when it comes to tackling toxic behaviors. Talk to your support system to gain their perspectives of how to deal with a challenging personality like this.

One of the best things you can do? Limit your interactions with these personalities. Think of a toxic coworker like secondhand smoke – you wouldn’t want to keep exposing yourself to it day after day.