Emotional Intelligence

  Hello Dear Readers and welcome or welcome back, today I wanna focus on the topic of emotional intelligence and how we can either work on straightening our own or growing new skills to develop the techniques and tools to gain more emotional intelligence. With that being said let's jump back in!.

  Emotional Intelligence

e-mo-tion-al  in-tel-li-gence

noun

the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

 5 Ways to Boost Your Emotional Intelligence

1. Become aware of and tune into your own emotions. 

one of the first, and perhaps most important steps, is to become more self aware, or to develop the ability to tune into your own emotions. Why? In order to control your emotions you must first be aware of them. Some pointers for becoming self aware include: monitoring your emotions by acknowledging them (a technique I really like is RAINN) knowing yourself is an essential life skill. Practicing mindfulness is also an excellent way to become more self aware and monitor your emotions, By being aware of your own emotions, you are better able to understand and become aware of the emotions of others.

2. Seek to understand the points of view of others. 

Once you have a good appraisal of your own emotions, seek to understand and empathize with others. This is particularly important in the workplace, on committees, or in a group setting where ideas are flowing and being exchanged. To do so, listen attentively, put yourself in another's place and try to imagine what they thinking and feeling and how they may have arrived at their conclusions. You will not only have a broader viewpoint yourself, you will be stretching your own perspective.

3. Communicate Effectively.

Communicating effectively requires both verbal and non-verbal skills. Communication is more than merely exchanging information. Effective communication is about understanding emotions, as well as the intentions behind the information exchanged. It is mutual back and forth that includes conveying a message in the way it is intended and, in turn, making sure it is received as intended.

Non-verbal skills include engage listening, making eye contact, being aware of body language (not standing too close, gestures, facial expressions, etc.)

4. Develop connections with people.

No matter how shy or introverted you think you are, learning to develop connections with others is a huge component of Emotional Intelligence. In fact, even if you are shy, you can begin first by listening, showing interest and making others feel comfortable. Doing so is sometimes easier for shy, introverted people (like myself) than it is for gregarious, extroverts who tend to enjoy speaking first. For both types, showing that you care and are interested in others goes far in building valuable connections.

5. Practice emotional management.

Once you are aware of both your own emotions and those of others, it is important to understand how to keep them and in check. Some ways of practicing emotional management include:

*Stopping to take time to process and understand what is transpiring 

*Diverting your attention until you are more composed - such as going for a walk, exercising, playing with a pet, breathing deeply or using RAINN

*Re-framing the experience, i.e. exploring a new, broader way of looking at the issue.

*Looking at the big picture and determining how important the immediate emotion/reaction is to the overall issue.

There are several ways you can begin to go about boosting, or improving your Emotional Intelligence. Doing so will not only enhance your opportunities for success in the workplace, it will benefit you in your personal and professional relationships. Ultimately, Emotional Intelligence entails understanding yourself and others, effectively interacting with others, and then using those skills to straighten your personal and professional relationships. I hope with this blog, I have been able to inform you of how to boost your own Emotional Intelligence, and reach for your goals this new year with the infinite potential I know that we all have. 

Take good care of yourselves and each other, 

until next time. 

Blessings,

-A