3 Powerful Emotionally Intelligent Habits Everyone Should Master
Mastering Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage our feelings and understand those of the people around us. It involves communicating assertively, self-regulation, empathy, self-awareness, and good social skills.
Emotions are an integral part of our psyche as humans, and they are significantly vital for wise decision-making when compounded with logical thinking. Emotional capacity levels differ from one person to another depending on their beliefs, making psychological management a tough nut to crack.
People’s emotions are uniquely generated based on their perception and understanding of their surroundings. For instance, yesterday, I got into a spirited argument with my newly found friends after they claimed I’m too moody sometimes. They explained some days, I go to work in an anti-social attitude that seems hostile.
The truth is what they see as a bad mood; I see it as my serious face, and I hated explaining that. These are the same people who also say I talk too much! So, is keeping to myself problematic also? I understood they didn’t know me that well enough and let it go, though their double standards boggled my mind. Story for another day!
Emotional quotient assists us in applying positive means to relieve stress and resolve conflict, while uncontrolled Emotions affect our judgment and corrupt our logic, which is why it is a vital skill to master. As emotional beings, there are three basic yet potent habits we should all master to help control our emotions for our sake and the people around us:
Saying No When We Need To
The word no is a complete statement. Used wisely, it helps establish healthy boundaries. No is a rejection statement, and any rejection hurts like a bitch; hence, we should be calculating how we use it! It is also one the most uncommon vocabulary in our generation, and mastering it takes balls.
I barely said no in the recent past; it nearly cost me my sanity, but then again, 15 years in the people-pleasing business can do that to you. The thing is, I’m a subtleness expert so much that my people-pleasing habits were hardly noticeable until I confessed later on. I’m getting out, though. It has been quite challenging, but I’m dismantling the blocks that kept that business running one step at a time.
Saying no when we need to develops an authentic relationship between us and the people around us; it helps them know what we stand for. The NO needs to be empathetic and considerate of the other person’s feelings, understanding that they could get hurt, too.
Sharing Our Feelings with Others
To manage our feelings and comprehend those of the people around us effectively, sharing how we feel is critical to avoid making decisions based on assumptions and hurting one another. Sharing feelings involves communicating assertively to establish a trusting and empathetic bond. It helps us know each other past surface-level selves.
Sharing our feelings also helps us ease into seeking help whenever we are troubled, for our benefit and those around us. Bottled-up emotions always explode, and whenever they do, many people get hurt, some deservingly so, others as collateral damage, and sharing how we feel instead prevents all that shenanigans.
Sharing feelings is also eminently beneficial to our mental health as it aids in reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and overthinking. It helps us accept and appreciate vulnerability and challenge others to do the same.
Solving Problems Favorably
Finding solutions to our problems can be challenging sometimes, which, in most cases, ends in either selflessness or selfishness. In most situations, we take the selfish route where we either end up hurting ourselves at the expense of others or harm others to satisfy our needs/desires.
The selfless way, even though a difficult option, is sympathetic and considerate of others, and everybody wins. Finding favorable solutions to our problems means no one involved gets hurt or is mistreated, which creates a loving environment that cares about the well-being of all.
Solving problems in ways that work for everyone motivates people to communicate honestly and clearly, listen to one another, take critique well, operate with integrity, set healthy boundaries, empathize with others, and practice self-awareness and regulation.
Taking into account managing emotions takes substantial effort, minute and atomic behaviors like saying considerate nos, communicating our feelings, and selfless problem solving make it significantly easy for anyone putting in the work. Mastering these three behaviors is an eminent way of increasing our emotional intelligence.
