Table of contents:
- What is emotional intelligence?
- Train emotional intelligence
- 1. Recognize the emotions you are feeling
- 2. Ask for other people's opinions
- 3. Observe any changes in your emotions and moods
- 4. Write a journal or diary
- 5. Think before you act
- 6. Get to the root of the problem
- 7. Introspect when receiving criticism
- 8. Understand your own body
- 9. Continue to practice the habit
To achieve success in career and personal life, intellectual intelligence is not enough. You also need to be good at building and managing positive relationships with other people. It certainly starts with yourself. You need to have a positive personality so that you can deal with any difficult situation. That's why you need emotional intelligence. However, practicing emotional intelligence is not something you can do overnight. You need to shape it slowly. However, you don't need to worry because honing emotional intelligence is basically very simple. Just follow the easy guide below.
What is emotional intelligence?
Before practicing your emotional intelligence, you should first understand what emotional intelligence is, which is also often called emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ). According to experts in psychology and mental development, emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and manage the emotions that you and others feel.
As well as numeracy, language, and work skills, this ability also needs to be honed. Understanding other people's emotions and responding to them appropriately is a useful skill so that you can negotiate and cooperate with your coworkers. In addition, emotional sensitivity is also very useful in social life, family, or when having an affair with a partner.
Train emotional intelligence
There are major principles that need to be fulfilled in order to train emotional intelligence. Please refer to the 9 tips that you can copy below.
1. Recognize the emotions you are feeling
Always ask yourself how you are feeling. Good when you experience unpleasant events, get good news, even when you are bored and lackluster. Don't underestimate this process. Knowing your own feelings can help you predict what action you will take when faced with a particular situation. You can also control yourself and prevent actions that you will regret in the future.
For example, when you have just been reprimanded by your boss. Try to ask yourself if what you predominantly feel is being disappointed with yourself, angry with the other team members, or if you just don't feel anything. From here, you can find out the next steps and make sure this incident doesn't happen again.
2. Ask for other people's opinions
Sometimes you need other people's opinions to understand yourself. No problem, you can try asking the people closest to their views on you. For example, when you are tired, what do you usually do or complain about? How does that affect the people around you? This will help you recognize your own behavior patterns as well as understand the feelings of those close to you.
3. Observe any changes in your emotions and moods
Get in the habit of observing and feeling any changes in your emotions, moods, or behavior patterns. You will no longer experience it mood swing its origins are not clear. That way, you can solve problems that you were not really aware of. For example, suppose you suddenly wake up in the morning grumpy. If you are accustomed to observing the dynamics of feelings and events in your life, you may find that nervousness is the cause because you have to make a presentation in front of you. supervisor You this afternoon.
4. Write a journal or diary
In order for you to quickly master various techniques for managing emotions, record all your activities and feelings in a journal or diary. That way, you will become increasingly adept at detecting the emotions you are feeling, their causes, and how to deal with them. This also applies to the emotions that other people feel. By writing down the dynamics when dealing with other people, you will train yourself to find out what the other person is feeling, why, and how best to deal with that person.
5. Think before you act
To train your emotional intelligence, don't rush into decisions or actions. You need time to consider the possibilities. In addition, you will also be able to see the impact that your actions have on yourself and others. It may seem easier said than done, but the trick is to learn to listen more than talk. That way, you will get used to controlling yourself before you say or do something.
6. Get to the root of the problem
Sometimes, the hardest challenge in practicing emotional intelligence is understanding other people. So, what you need to do is hone empathy. You can develop empathy by asking these four important questions:
- What feelings is he conveying through his actions or words?
- Why does he feel this way?
- What might she be experiencing or thinking that I don't know?
- Why don't I feel what he feels?
By understanding other people, you can also dig up the root of the problems faced by you and the other person. Therefore, solving problems will be easier and smoother.
7. Introspect when receiving criticism
It is also important to practice emotional intelligence when you experience an unpleasant incident such as being criticized by other people. Without you knowing it, criticism is something you need to develop yourself. So, instead of getting discouraged or angry, it's best to take this opportunity for introspection. Even if you are criticized in a rude or disrespectful way, try to focus on the content of the criticism, not the way it is delivered. Ask yourself what would make other people criticize you in such a way? Try to put aside the hurt or embarrassment that enveloped you for a moment and think about whether the criticism has any merit. After that, also think about how to improve yourself.
8. Understand your own body
Emotional intelligence is directly related to the condition of your body. This is because every nerve and cell in your body has an effect on each other. If you are stressed, you may lose your appetite or have trouble sleeping. Or maybe you feel nauseous because you are nervous. Learning to understand your own body will help you become aware of your feelings and reactions to certain situations.
9. Continue to practice the habit
The best way to practice emotional intelligence is to keep practicing the steps above. The process of exercising emotional intelligence can go on throughout your life. However, the more you try hard, the better and the results will be felt in everyday life without having to wait for years. You also don't have to bother attending therapy or self-development seminars which are not cheap. If you really believe that the ability to manage emotions can improve the quality of life, you only need one simple key, which is to continue to encourage yourself to practice emotional intelligence.