Pic Source: Internet
What is emotional intelligence?
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| Pic Source: Internet |
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is defined as
“…is the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of
others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use
emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust
emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one’s goal(s),” and was popularized by Daniel
Goleman in a book of the same name.
Managing stress is just the first step to building emotional
intelligence. When you become overly stressed, you can lose
control of your emotions and the ability to act thoughtfully and appropriately.
Using your emotions to make constructive decisions is an important trait of
emotional quotient popularly known as
EQ.
Emotional
intelligence consists of four main pillars: self-awareness,
self-management, social management and relationship management.
Self-management
Emotions are important pieces of
information that tell you about yourself and others, but in the face of stress we
leave our comfort zone, become overwhelmed and lose control of ourselves. With
the ability to manage stress and stay emotionally present, you can
take care of your wellbeing as well as avoid letting the emotions over ride
your mental balance. It not only controls the behavior caused by over
impulsiveness but allows adapting to changing circumstances. Your ability to
manage core feelings such as anger, sadness, fear, and joy lies in the practice
of self-management.
Emotions are important pieces of
information that tell you about yourself and others, but in the face of stress we
leave our comfort zone, become overwhelmed and lose control of ourselves. With
the ability to manage stress and stay emotionally present, you can
take care of your wellbeing as well as avoid letting the emotions over ride
your mental balance. It not only controls the behavior caused by over
impulsiveness but allows adapting to changing circumstances. Your ability to
manage core feelings such as anger, sadness, fear, and joy lies in the practice
of self-management.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness can be summed up as a
“conscious knowledge of one's own character,
feelings, motives, and desires”. Self-awareness is imperative so as to have a better
understanding of ourselves, which helps us to experience ourselves as unique
and separate individuals. It empowers us to make changes and to build on our
areas of strength. Self-awareness is the first step in creating what you want and
mastering your life and developed by focusing your attention on the details of
your personality and behavior.
Self-awareness can be summed up as a
“conscious knowledge of one's own character,
feelings, motives, and desires”. Self-awareness is imperative so as to have a better
understanding of ourselves, which helps us to experience ourselves as unique
and separate individuals. It empowers us to make changes and to build on our
areas of strength. Self-awareness is the first step in creating what you want and
mastering your life and developed by focusing your attention on the details of
your personality and behavior.
Mindfulness calms and helps you focus making
you more self-aware in the process.
Social
management
Social awareness enables you to
recognize and interpret the mainly nonverbal cues others are constantly using
to communicate with you. When groups of people send out similar nonverbal cues,
you’re able to read and understand the power dynamics and shared emotional
experiences of the group. It is the ability to know the people around you and the ability to interact with them in the most efficient and proper
manner. Understanding other people's feelings is central to emotional
intelligence. Get it wrong and you'll be seen as uncaring and insensitive. Having higher levels of social awareness
allows you to understand the dynamics of social and interpersonal problems in a
much better way which results in having great relationships, reputation, and
professional success.
Social awareness enables you to
recognize and interpret the mainly nonverbal cues others are constantly using
to communicate with you. When groups of people send out similar nonverbal cues,
you’re able to read and understand the power dynamics and shared emotional
experiences of the group. It is the ability to know the people around you and the ability to interact with them in the most efficient and proper
manner. Understanding other people's feelings is central to emotional
intelligence. Get it wrong and you'll be seen as uncaring and insensitive. Having higher levels of social awareness
allows you to understand the dynamics of social and interpersonal problems in a
much better way which results in having great relationships, reputation, and
professional success.
Relationship
management
Relationship
Management is all about your interpersonal communication skills working well with others is a process
that begins with emotional awareness and your ability to recognize and
understand what other people are experiencing. It’s our capability to enthuse and
influence people, knack to communicate and build bonds with them, and your
ability to help them change, grow, develop, and resolve conflict in a skillful
manner. Once emotional awareness is in play,
you can effectively develop additional social/emotional skills that will make
your relationships more effective, fruitful, and fulfilling.
- Meditate
and reflect. Focus
on your thoughts. Quieting
the mind reduces stress; boosts mental, emotional and physical
effectiveness; and leads to increased inner stability.
- Take
care of health, wellness, nutrition and fitness. Exercise, nutrition, sleep,
physical exertion, being outdoors, stretching, laughing and tending to
physical care impacts all areas of personal well-being. Forgiveness,
optimism, gratitude, courage, choosing positive emotions contribute to
better physical and mental health..
- Choose
to be happy. Make
an active decision to tap into joy. Stop and smell the roses. Listen to
up-beat music; dance, smile, laugh.... take time to do the things you
really enjoy.
- Mindfulness:
Focus your
thoughts on “now”. Stay in the present. Do not drag your past or worry
about your future to miss out on being present.
- Organize
and de-clutter. This
is a task that requires focus and attention. A well- coordinated effort
decreases stress and makes performance far more satisfying.
- Stay
connected with friends and loved ones: Communication is the key to satisfying
and long term relationships.
- Humor
is your ally:
“laughter is the best medicine” it may sound cliché but a good humor will
definitely reduce stress, lighten your stress or any tense situation.
- Keep
learning: to face today’s rapidly-changing and
evolving world, keeping yourself updated and learning is the key.
- Empower yourself/ feel empowered: Emotionally empowered
people’s passion drives their unrelenting pursuit of excellence and
growth.
- Adaptability: Adapting yourself to people,
surrounding etc is vital. Recognizing the ability to shift, change adapt
is crucial to move forward. This comes from your self-care, how you treat
yourself and others, your thoughts and assessments as well an open mind to
change or adapt.
#EQ #emotional-intelligence #self-awareness #mindfulness #relationship #social # self-management
Relationship
Management is all about your interpersonal communication skills working well with others is a process
that begins with emotional awareness and your ability to recognize and
understand what other people are experiencing. It’s our capability to enthuse and
influence people, knack to communicate and build bonds with them, and your
ability to help them change, grow, develop, and resolve conflict in a skillful
manner. Once emotional awareness is in play,
you can effectively develop additional social/emotional skills that will make
your relationships more effective, fruitful, and fulfilling.
Skills that help develop emotional intelligence:
- Meditate and reflect. Focus on your thoughts. Quieting the mind reduces stress; boosts mental, emotional and physical effectiveness; and leads to increased inner stability.
- Take care of health, wellness, nutrition and fitness. Exercise, nutrition, sleep, physical exertion, being outdoors, stretching, laughing and tending to physical care impacts all areas of personal well-being. Forgiveness, optimism, gratitude, courage, choosing positive emotions contribute to better physical and mental health..
- Choose to be happy. Make an active decision to tap into joy. Stop and smell the roses. Listen to up-beat music; dance, smile, laugh.... take time to do the things you really enjoy.
- Mindfulness: Focus your thoughts on “now”. Stay in the present. Do not drag your past or worry about your future to miss out on being present.
- Organize and de-clutter. This is a task that requires focus and attention. A well- coordinated effort decreases stress and makes performance far more satisfying.
- Stay connected with friends and loved ones: Communication is the key to satisfying and long term relationships.
- Humor is your ally: “laughter is the best medicine” it may sound cliché but a good humor will definitely reduce stress, lighten your stress or any tense situation.
- Keep learning: to face today’s rapidly-changing and evolving world, keeping yourself updated and learning is the key.
- Empower yourself/ feel empowered: Emotionally empowered people’s passion drives their unrelenting pursuit of excellence and growth.
- Adaptability: Adapting yourself to people, surrounding etc is vital. Recognizing the ability to shift, change adapt is crucial to move forward. This comes from your self-care, how you treat yourself and others, your thoughts and assessments as well an open mind to change or adapt.
