Our emotions are one of the hardest concepts to wrap our heads around, especially as women, as we are considered to be the more ‘emotional’ species. While we are always thinking of improving our overall intelligence to become more knowledgeable and insightful human beings. What we often neglect is that our emotional intelligence (EI) also needs to be worked at so we can become better equipped with our emotions and how we are displaying them to others. Harnessing our emotions to work in positive ways will help in all areas of our lives, allowing us to become more empathic and understanding human beings, and in this day and age, it’s definitely a much-needed attribute.
Josh Freedman, CEO of Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network observes, ”the bad news is emotional intelligence continues to decline globally. I hypothesise this is due to growing stress and chaos in the world. In our study, we found people with higher-than-average EQ are dramatically more likely to be high performers — it means that essentially, EQ is a requirement.”
1. Observation
By observing the great achievers, or just people that you know who seem to be in check with their emotions will be beneficial in changing your attitudes. Allowing you to see how others are using their EI to its highest advantage. But also, by just observing everyone in general and taking note of how others react to adversity or how they cultivate meaningful relationships, will help determine whether you should either learn from their mistakes or try and emulate them if they are successful.
2. Reflection
By reflecting on your own emotions and how you reacted in certain situations can help you gain more self-awareness and control in how you use your feelings. Reflection is a great tool in everyday life, as it allows you to constantly grow and seek out better options to create a more fulfilling existence.
3. Positivity
When faced with a difficult challenge you will need to gather up your courage and become resilient, facing whatever comes your way head on and putting a positive spin on the situation. This will allow you to better anticipate and react to any challenge that may pop up.
4. Empathy
By putting yourself in someone else’s shoes you can see a whole other perspective in which your own emotions can adjust to better receive the other person and how they are feeling. A simple example is that of a customer service situation where even though the customer is frustrated, by practicing empathy you will have a better hold on the situation and may come out of it unscathed.
5. Repetition
By constantly practicing these steps, you will gain a better understanding of yourself and how you relate and communicate in the world.
By Emily Facoory
SheSociety is a site for the women of Australia to share our stories, our experiences, shared learnings and opportunities to connect.
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