When everything goes well, being happy, feeling motivated, and optimistic is much simpler than when we are in a complicated or unpleasant situation. However, it is there in those difficult moments, when the most useful and productive can be those internal resources, which we sometimes forget that we have and that help us not only to stay afloat but to surf the wave, and often successfully reach a safe port. It is for this reason that emotions are so important, because it is they allow us to reach a greater understanding of who we are, serving as a guide in our daily walking on the path of life. There are certain activities to work on the emotions.
How many times does an emotional state prevent us from thinking or acting in any way? Even the research by the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations was conducted in Europe, Asia, and America, with 121 organizations indicating that people’s success is due to their intellectual abilities and 77% to their emotional skills. That is why one of the key resources that human beings can develop is emotional intelligence.
What is emotional intelligence?
Named after Peter Salovey and John Mayer, and spread this term thanks to Daniel Goleman’s publications, emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to connect with their own and others’ emotions. This allows us to recognize ourselves, motivate and guide our behavior, and understand others to relate better.
American psychologist Hendrie Weisinger gives us another definition of emotional intelligence: “It is useful in times of prosperity, essential in times of crisis.” And if we think about it, how do we rebuild or generate new dreams in difficult times? How do we readjust and manage with others in times of crisis, when we neglect the important for the urgent? Where are other priorities?
How can we develop emotional intelligence?
When we are in crisis, it is essential to know and understand how to express our emotions assertively. First things first, we must always prioritize ourselves. And for this reason, here I present six actions to work on our emotional intelligence if we want to develop it:
– In the face of the situation, look at what you think, what you feel, and name it, identify it. Are those thoughts and emotions the same all the time? Or only in the face of specific circumstances?
– Pay attention to your physical reactions: What does your body say? How do those reactions relate to your emotions?
– Avoid judging what you feel; there are no good emotions and bad emotions. They are emotions, and you need to feel them, so it take responsibility for those emotions. They’re yours, take them on.
– Ask yourself: What possibilities does what you’re feeling open up for you, and what possibilities does it close down for you? In other words, what does that feeling allow you to do, or what does it prevent you from doing?
– Think about whether you’d like to react differently to that situation or circumstance and how you want to react next time.
– Practice. At first, the initial reactions are triggered, as long as you are more aware of your possibilities, your repertoire will change, and most of your answers will depend on you.
It’s important to understand that as human beings, various situations are beyond our control, and that a crisis is a crisis; therefore, everything you feel in the face of it is absolutely valid. Emotional intelligence is precisely this: recognizing what we feel and how we react to what happens, to try to maintain balance and live better regardless of what may be happening around us.
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