Emotional intelligence: Improve yours with these 3 tips
People with high emotional intelligence are good at assessing their own feelings and empathizing with others. We give you tips on how to increase your emotional intelligence.
Intelligence encompasses much more than accumulating knowledge and being able to draw logical conclusions quickly. In many moments in life, it is not only logic and reason that help us move forward, but also the way we deal with emotions. It is also important to control your emotions and use your brain at the new www.masonslots.com/en-CA/.
Understanding our own emotions and those of others and acting accordingly is a sign of emotional intelligence. This is a skill that you can train and that can help you remain calmer in conflict situations and come to terms with yourself and your own feelings.
Two sides of intelligence: reason and emotion
Your emotions also play a role in intelligence. We use the term “intelligence” to describe a skill. You are probably familiar with the intelligence quotient – a value that refers to cognitive performance and includes conscious, creative thinking and problem solving.
Emotional intelligence is not opposed to cognitive intelligence; however, rationality and emotions cannot be separated. Emotions motivate us to act, help us make decisions, and give us a sense of meaning in life. Emotional intelligence is an indispensable complement to conscious thinking and reflection.
Characteristics of emotional intelligence
For emotionally intelligent people, feelings are like a river that can neither be dammed nor overflow its banks unhindered.
Emotional intelligence can be roughly summarized in two key aspects: dealing with one’s own feelings and dealing with the feelings of others.
- Dealing with one’s own feelings: A key competence of emotional intelligence – only those who know themselves and their feelings well can respond to the feelings of others. This core aspect includes:
- consciously recognizing and verbalizing one’s own feelings,
- the ability to influence one’s own feelings in a self-determined way, and
- expressing one’s own feelings appropriately.
In terms of dealing with one’s own feelings, emotional intelligence means taking one’s own feelings seriously, but not being at their mercy, as is the case with uninhibited anger, sudden panic, and overwhelming grief. Rather, it is about acknowledging one’s feelings, regulating them, and taking responsibility for them. This does not mean suppressing one’s feelings.
- Recognizing the feelings of others: To build successful relationships, you need to be able to respond to other people. Empathy is essential for this. That’s why this core aspect includes:
the ability to recognize other people’s feelings based on their voice, facial expressions, gestures, and behavior, and to be able to empathize with their feelings.
Empathy is the supreme discipline of emotional intelligence. In order to develop empathy, it is first important to have a deep understanding of yourself. Only when you know yourself and your feelings well can you turn your attention to the feelings of others.
- Strengthen emotional intelligence through mindfulness
Mindfulness promotes all aspects of emotional intelligence.
Mindfulness is central to emotional intelligence. An accepting and non-judgmental attitude toward your own feelings strengthens emotional clarity and helps you regulate your feelings better. This attitude also strengthens your acceptance of others’ feelings and thus your compassion and empathy. Mindfulness thus addresses both core aspects of emotional intelligence.
- Strengthen your ability to deal with your own feelings
Writing them down helps you recognize your own feelings and thus also improves your emotional intelligence. In addition to mindfulness, you can further develop every core aspect of emotional intelligence with complementary techniques.
- Train your empathy
Empathy, a crucial core aspect of emotional intelligence, fosters the development of deep and meaningful relationships. Empathizing with others is not always painless—that’s why mindfulness is also a good companion for developing empathy. It helps you to accept even unpleasant experiences, which is essential for developing emotional intelligence.
