Daily Inspirational Thoughts
4 Ways To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence & Manage Your Emotions In A Positive Way
By NaijaGists Creative Reporter
How To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence At Work & Home… 4 Components Of Emotional Intelligence
Guide To Managing And Your Emotions In A Positive Way
To most people, the concept of emotional intelligence is so alien to them but it’s truly a concept that could fuel your performance both at your work place and in your personal life. Now, before I delve into the importance of learning how to improve your emotional intelligence, I will do a breakdown of what the concept means.
It is quite unfortunate that most people get overwhelmed by their emotions; they let their emotions control them instead of taking charge of their emotions. There are people who can’t always keep their cool; they suck at making people around them feel at ease; they can’t even handle an awkward social situation. Being emotionally intelligent means you are able to understand and manage your emotions. Emotional intelligence means your ability to take charge of your emotions.
Emotional intelligence is not something one is born with; but it is something we can all learn and master. In our work places, there is no doubt that most times, stress and frustration sips in through our veins and we find ourselves transferring that aggressions to your colleagues.
Let’s say you are based in Lagos mainland while your work place is located on the Island. Each morning, you are stuck in traffic, you have crazy conductors to deal with before you are able to arrive at your work place. Then on arriving, you are faced with a crazy and angry boss who puts so much pressure on you. How do you handle this?
First and foremost, you should pause and breath. Just take a huge breath. With most of us experiencing some sort of stress on a regular basis, don’t forget to breath. Think before you react or respond in order to avoid an outburst that can attract a sack letter from your boss.
Another way to improve your emotional intelligence at your work place is to transfer your emotional energy into something productive. Sometimes, we may not be able to keep all those overwhelming emotions inside and instead of transferring the negative vibe to something futile, turn it into motivation instead. You could write, draw or channel the energy to your work. Again, you can improve emotional intelligence at your work place by maintaining a positive thinking; curb any negativity, develop a can-do attitude and quit dwelling in the past.
Now, some might wonder, what are the components of emotional intelligence? Here is a list of the components;
- Being self-aware.
- Self-regulation or management.
- Empathy
- Social skills
I will explain these components in seriatim.
- Being Self-Aware
This means reflecting on your emotions and actions frequently. This could help you understand who you are; why you make certain decisions; your strength and your weaknesses. That way, you can regularly improve on yourself. Being emotionally intelligent doesn’t just stop at self-awareness, you should also be aware of the effect of your own actions, moods and emotions of other people.
- Self Regulation
Aside self-awareness, emotional intelligence also entails being able to regulate and manage your emotions. This doesn’t mean you should hide your true feelings; it just means knowing the right place and time to express them. It is your ability to pause before to react; think before you speak. It is equally your ability to respond appropriately to people’s behaviour. For example, at your work place, your boss comes to work in a bad mood. You find him or her shouting at any little misdeed even when it isn’t your fault. Your ability to understand that your boss might be transferring aggression because he or she is probably having personal or family problems makes you emotionally mature. Instead of getting angry at the rants, you smile and do the necessary corrections.
- Social Skills
Being emotionally intelligent doesn’t just mean understanding and managing your emotions; the question is, how does it affect your daily interactions and communications? At your workplaces, how do you interact with your co-workers and customers? Emotionally mature individuals in some workplaces have the ability to actively listen to a customer’s rants and offer the solution to their problems.
- Motivation
This component plays a huge role in emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent people are hardly motivated by some external rewards like fame and money rather they look past all these rewards and focus on their own inner goals and needs. Most times, our goals and dreams are killed by the harsh realities in life but an emotional mature individual will somehow find strength to keep going despite the obstacles on the way. They have the initiative and the commitment to complete a task and the ability to persevere in the face of adversities.
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