Emotional Intelligence for a Happier Life
Emotional intelligence, speaks to one’s ability that helps him/her negotiate through the complexities of life, including those around personal relationships, decision-making, and mental health. In simple terms, emotional intelligence refers to the skill, capacity, and/or ability of a person: to be aware of, understand, and manage one’s own emotions; to recognize and influence the emotions of others.
The improvement in one’s emotional intelligence will go a long way toward advancing your life to become more whole and emotionally stable. First, self-awareness is the basis of emotional intelligence. It is only through reflection-paying a couple of minutes each day acknowledging and understanding your feelings-that you are able to get an insight into your feelings during the day and why you felt that particular way. In addition, try to find what all makes you feel particular emotions very strongly.
Once you can identify those things that make you feel extreme emotions, at this point you are very well placed to handle your reactions. When you become aware of your emotions, emotional management becomes of utmost importance. The moment you feel the tide of your emotions rising, stop for a while, take a deep breath, and gather yourself before you act. This will save you from acting on impulse. Positive self-talk can also help you deal with certain situations. Instead of saying, “I won’t be able to make it,” tell yourself, “I’ll do my best, and that’s good enough.”
Developing empathy is another important feature of emotional intelligence. Practice active listening: pay full attention to what a person says and does. Give verbal affirmations such as “I see” or “That makes sense” that indicate you are engaged. Putting yourself in another’s shoes can help you understand and show empathy toward their feelings. You also want to possess good social skills, especially within effective communication. Use “I” statements where one can give his or her views and sentiments without being accusatory. For instance, “I feel,” or “I think.” In the event of conflicts, be composed and listen to the view of the other while trying to arrive at a solution together.
Finally, motivate yourself, since it is related to high emotional intelligence. By establishing personal goals and defining what success is for you, you will be able to come up with clear steps that will help you realize those goals. Also, monitor the progress, celebrate small victories-this will tend to increase one’s intrinsic motivation in a particular activity. Self-compassion will also mean a lot in this case: be kind to oneself; know that everyone makes mistakes. Forgive yourself and move on, keeping in your mind what you will learn from the experience, meanwhile taking care of your life as a balance, including self-care activities that mean something to you.
Emotional Intelligence is not fixed; it can be developed with time. By improving your emotional awareness, regulation, empathy, social skills, motivation, and self-compassion, you will lead an emotionally more colorful life and improve your relations with others. Keep in mind that emotional intelligence is a process-it will continue to develop throughout your life-so go easy, be patient, and realize you need to develop and learn.
Take that first step today: read about one of the strategies listed above, and put it into practice this week. Your path to improved emotional well-being is just a step away! If you enjoyed this article, please share with a colleague or friend whom you think may benefit from building better emotional intelligence. Let’s create a community that values emotional health and well-being!
The improvement in one’s emotional intelligence will go a long way toward advancing your life to become more whole and emotionally stable. First, self-awareness is the basis of emotional intelligence. It is only through reflection-paying a couple of minutes each day acknowledging and understanding your feelings-that you are able to get an insight into your feelings during the day and why you felt that particular way. In addition, try to find what all makes you feel particular emotions very strongly.
Once you can identify those things that make you feel extreme emotions, at this point you are very well placed to handle your reactions. When you become aware of your emotions, emotional management becomes of utmost importance. The moment you feel the tide of your emotions rising, stop for a while, take a deep breath, and gather yourself before you act. This will save you from acting on impulse. Positive self-talk can also help you deal with certain situations. Instead of saying, “I won’t be able to make it,” tell yourself, “I’ll do my best, and that’s good enough.”
Developing empathy is another important feature of emotional intelligence. Practice active listening: pay full attention to what a person says and does. Give verbal affirmations such as “I see” or “That makes sense” that indicate you are engaged. Putting yourself in another’s shoes can help you understand and show empathy toward their feelings. You also want to possess good social skills, especially within effective communication. Use “I” statements where one can give his or her views and sentiments without being accusatory. For instance, “I feel,” or “I think.” In the event of conflicts, be composed and listen to the view of the other while trying to arrive at a solution together.
Finally, motivate yourself, since it is related to high emotional intelligence. By establishing personal goals and defining what success is for you, you will be able to come up with clear steps that will help you realize those goals. Also, monitor the progress, celebrate small victories-this will tend to increase one’s intrinsic motivation in a particular activity. Self-compassion will also mean a lot in this case: be kind to oneself; know that everyone makes mistakes. Forgive yourself and move on, keeping in your mind what you will learn from the experience, meanwhile taking care of your life as a balance, including self-care activities that mean something to you.
Emotional Intelligence is not fixed; it can be developed with time. By improving your emotional awareness, regulation, empathy, social skills, motivation, and self-compassion, you will lead an emotionally more colorful life and improve your relations with others. Keep in mind that emotional intelligence is a process-it will continue to develop throughout your life-so go easy, be patient, and realize you need to develop and learn.
Take that first step today: read about one of the strategies listed above, and put it into practice this week. Your path to improved emotional well-being is just a step away! If you enjoyed this article, please share with a colleague or friend whom you think may benefit from building better emotional intelligence. Let’s create a community that values emotional health and well-being!