EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

If you can recognize and manage your emotions, if you can sense the emotions of others and respond to it effectively and if you can motivate yourselves to achieve your goals, then you are likely to be an emotionally intelligent person. 

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?

Emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) is the ability to identify and understand our own emotions as well as of others, and the ability to use this awareness to manage and regulate our behaviour and relationships. It helps us navigate social complexities and make decisions to achieve our goals.

Emotional intelligence is the foundation of success and it impacts everything that we do. It predicts the performance in the work place and  is the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence.  It also plays a crucial role in academic success as well as physical and mental health. 

FIVE DOMAINS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 

1. Self-awareness: The ability to identify your own emotions as well as the impact of your behaviour on others.
2. Self-regulation: This is the ability to use the awareness of our emotions to stay flexible and to manage our emotional reactions to situations and people.
3. Motivation: The ability to work towards achieving our goals and having the strength to keep going even when there are difficulties and obstacles in life.
4. Empathy: This is the ability to understand the emotions and reactions of others and to view the world from the perspective of another person.
5. Social Skills: This is the ability to use our awareness and those of others to manage and improve our relationships.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?

• Increases effectiveness in productivity, creativity in whatever they undertake
• Bounce back quickly from life’s setbacks and upsets
• Increases flexibility by gaining an understanding into one’s own potential
• Enhances self-awareness by better comprehending on what happens and acting on it rather than reacting
• Build stronger working relationships by enhancing knowledge of his own self as well as understanding others 
• Be more committed and focused on achieving goals
• Build rapport and connect with people through skills such as listening skills, verbal and non-verbal communication 
• Exhibit a balance between emotion and reason
• Increases general happiness as people with high EQ are more likely to be happier, healthier and successful in relationships 
• Driven and unlikely to give up in the face of adversity
• To be self-reliant and free of emotional dependency on others
• To effectively solve problems of personal and interpersonal nature
• Develop leadership qualities by enhancing skills such as decisiveness, determination, courage and clarity

WAYS TO IMPROVE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 

We all want to improve some aspects in our life. Through practice and determination, we can improve any aspect or skill in our life. Likewise, emotional intelligence can be improved. Here are some of the ways in which we can incorporate in our daily lives to improve our emotional intelligence:

BE MORE SELF-AWARE: Self-awareness is one of the core components of emotional intelligence. You can start by doing various activities like mindfulness and meditation. Other than that, you can use a notebook to record your feelings and rate the intensity of your feelings from 1-10. When you become aware of your emotions, you can monitor and change it accordingly. 

• BE EXPRESSIVE: If you know how to express your emotions, you can help yourselves in managing it. Bottling up your feelings, thoughts and beliefs and not sharing it to anyone can make you feel lonely and frustrated. You can choose to share your innermost thoughts and feelings to the people you trust and with that you will also be able to maintain relationships. 
• CHANNEL YOUR EMOTIONS EFFECTIVELY: People experience both positive and negative emotions. Many people tend to avoid the negative emotions and try to escape from them. Rather, accept it as it is natural and understandable. Do not try to control your emotions but know how to decide if it’s an appropriate reaction to the situation and act accordingly. 
• BE MORE FLEXIBLE: Many people tend to follow their own set of routines and are not open to changes. Change is a part of the growth and to get new opportunities in life, you need to get out of your rigid routines. New experiences and opportunities can satisfy you both personally and professionally.
• LEARN HOW TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF: Start doing something you like when the feeling starts to build and not wait for it to arise. Do something that is somewhat related to goals you want to accomplish and then eventually you start to feel motivated. And remember that not only good feelings can motivate you. Even the feelings that are not so positive such as frustration, jealousy and annoyance can help you motivate yourself.

• BE MORE EMPATHETIC: Pay more attention to the people and listen more carefully while communicating. By utilizing active listening skills and paying close attention to what other people are trying to say, you become more empathetic. Being empathetic doesn’t only mean to understand them, but to accept them as they are even when you are unable to understand them. 
• OBSERVE PEOPLE’S BODY LANGUAGE: Body language is the reflection of your emotions. You can hone this skill by watching a movie or series without the sound. Try following the facial instructions and body cues to know more about what other people are feeling. Eyes are like the window to your soul and it can tell a lot about how a person feels. A person might be smiling, but his eyes might appear blank and unhappy.

• KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: Knowing yourself can help you make choices in life. By focusing upon  your strengths, you can pursue the things you’re good at and have a passion for. By focusing on your weaknesses, it can interfere with your life and hold yourself back from getting the most of life. Many people are not aware that most of the choices are often guided by emotional knowledge. 
• BE HAPPY: Nowadays, people tend to find happiness in materialistic things. Rather, try to find happiness even in the littlest things that you currently have in your life and spread it with other people. It costs nothing to spread happiness and what you receive in return is priceless. 

References:

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0
  • Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
• Emotional Intelligence for Dummies
  • Steven J. Stein, PhD.
• Emotional Intelligence

Why it can matter more than IQ

• Daniel Goleman
• Emotional Intelligence – New Perspectives and Applications 
• Edited by Annamaria Di Fabio

• https://positivepsychology.com/importance-of-emotional-intelligence/
• https://exploringyourmind.com/emotional-intelligence-why-important-use-daily/amp/
• https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.htm
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&siurce=web&rct=j&url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/33918/5/chapter3.pdf&ved=2ahUkEwil5vx/w5DrAhW78HMBHRSCBC4QFjAAegQIahAB&usg=AOvVaw2RuchkGOZ107SGzENVoM78
• http://theimportanceofemotionalintelligence.weebly.com/the-5-components.html
• https://markmanson.net/emotions/emotional-intelligence-skills
• https://hackspirit.com/negative-emotions/

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