Can Emotional Intelligence Be Developed
And Improved?
Can Emotional Intelligence Be Developed And Improved?
Are you emotionally intelligent? In other words, how well are you able to manage your own emotions, understand and influence other people’s emotions without getting consumed or triggered by their behaviour or actions?
I am sure you, like others, have had moments in your life where you let your emotions get the best of you, lost control of yourself, and regretted how you reacted, and what you said and/or did out of anger. Is this type of reaction pattern something you have to live with for the rest of your life or can emotional intelligence be developed and improved?
Yes, emotional intelligence can be developed and improved as you go through different experiences, and challenges and learn life lessons. You are not born with a set amount of emotional intelligence which you have to live with for the rest of your life.
When you develop and improve your emotional intelligence, you will be able to better handle your emotions and have fewer regrettable moments of outbursts and reactions.
So, you may be wondering, what are some ways to improve your emotional intelligence? Let’s discuss that next.
5 Ways To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is very important in life because having a high score in the intelligence co-efficient(IQ) is not sufficient by itself. We coexist and interact with ourselves and other human beings both in our personal life and work. I don’t think success is possible without developing and improving emotional intelligence.
Let’s cover below five ways to improve your emotional intelligence
Practice Mindfulness Daily
Start practicing mindfulness, and meditation, spending time in silence every day, and connecting to your creator. You will be better able to hear your Soul’s whispers, and guidance(intuition) and connect to your creator.
You will begin to feel grounded, calm, and peaceful on the inside and will be able to live by the true qualities of your soul which are peace, love, joy, compassion, and abundance.
You will be able to better handle your emotions, pause, and respond when faced with challenging, situations, and circumstances rather than reacting and getting angry.
Have Self Awareness
Take some time to reflect and get to know yourself better and learn to master your own emotions. Recognize some things that people say or do that trigger you and make you angry.
Prepare yourself and learn to anticipate, pause, and respond when you face these possible triggers. Learn to listen to your inner guidance and gut instead of letting other people’s actions control and dictate how you react.
Always Be Empathetic
Practice compassion and empathy every day. Recognize that other people may have a completely different life perspective from you. They may be behaving in a certain way because they may be possibly going through some rough patches in life or have had a very difficult childhood.
Try to understand others and learn to put yourself in their shoes and have empathy towards them. Seek to understand them better by observing their body language and asking them clarifying questions instead of being triggered by them.
Your way of doing things is not the only way or the only right way. They may not have the capacity to do or say things in ways that you expect them to. When we expect others to behave in a certain way, it often leads to disappointment.
However, that does not mean you should not set boundaries around how you should be treated and who you want to have a close relationship with. People who do not make you feel good, or disrespect you do not have to stay in your life or you can reduce your contact with them.
Learn To Master Your Own Emotions
Learn to regulate, master your own emotions, and take the responsibility for your actions and reactions. Instead of reacting right away to unpleasant circumstances or situations and letting the other person’s actions dictate how you behave, take a pause and then respond.
Always be aware of your identity, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, words, behaviour, actions, and habits that are responsible and guide your reaction and destiny eventually. Know that you are not your thoughts, and emotions, separate yourself from them and be the observer of the same instead. You are a soul that is having a temporary life experience.
Build Your Social Skills
Work on building your social skills and learn to resolve conflicts in a better way. Show care and talk to people respectfully instead of getting angry, losing your cool, shouting, and talking down to them. Find common ground, and have patience when interacting with different people from different backgrounds.
Not everyone will see things your way and have your exact perspective and experience in life. It is okay for others to live life their way as long as they are not forcing you to do things that are against your ethics, morals, and your soul’s guidance. Remember everyone is on their life path.
In conclusion, you now know that emotional intelligence which is your ability to manage your own emotions and understand and influence other people’s emotions without getting consumed or triggered by their behaviour or actions can be developed and improved as you go through different experiences, challenges, and you learn life lessons.
You are not born with a set amount of emotional intelligence which you have to live with for the rest of your life. When you develop and improve your emotional intelligence, you will be able to better handle your emotions and have fewer regrettable moments of outbursts and reactions.
You also learned five ways to improve your emotional intelligence like starting a mindfulness practice, having self-awareness, being empathetic, learning to master your own emotions, and building your social skills.
It will serve you well to start implementing some of these ways to improve your emotional intelligence especially if you want to live your best life with all the people that you may come across in your life journey!
Next what is a lack of self awareness? read for further insights and helpful tips.