Today, we will be discussing various aspects of emotional intelligence. Now the primary question is, what is emotional intelligence, or E.I., as we know it? Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to recognize, control, and estimate emotions. While some researchers suggest that one can learn emotional intelligence, others assert that it’s an innate trait.
Signs of Emotional Intelligence
Some signs of emotional intelligence are as follows:
- Capability to recognize and depict what people are feeling.
- Reorganization of one’s own strengths & weaknesses.
- Confidence & self-acceptance.
- Capability to rectify & let go of faults.
- Capability to recognize & face challenges.
- A strong sense of interest, particularly about other people.
- Feelings of compassion and apprehension for others.
- Showing an understanding of the feelings of other people.
- Accepting liability for mistakes.
- The capability to handle emotions in hard circumstances.
Emotional Intelligence Skills
There are mainly some aspects of emotional intelligence skills. Let us have a look at them.
1. Self-Awareness
Self-awareness, or reorganization of emotions, is the most important among emotional intelligence skills. In addition to recognizing one’s own emotions, self-awareness also involves recognizing the impact of one’s actions, mood, and emotions on others.
To become self-aware, we must be competent in observing our own emotions, recognizing different emotional reactions, and then correctly classifying each particular emotion.
Self-aware individuals also distinguish the relationships between the things they feel and how they behave. They also know their strengths and weaknesses, and they welcome new information and experiences. They do not feel inferior about learning from others.
2. Self-management
Being aware of one’s own emotions is not enough; one has to be able to monitor & adjust one’s own emotions & how they affect people around him/her. This doesn’t mean one has to hide or suppress his/her emotions. It means waiting for the right time & place to express those emotions in a suitable manner.
Those who have mastered self-management are quite flexible & adapt to changes well. They are also good at resolving disagreements & handling tense situations.
People with strong self-management skills are also likely to be high in delicacy. They are thoughtful about how they persuade others, and they take responsibility for their own actions.
3. Social Skills
People with good emotional intelligence are known for their social skills. They communicate well with others. It enables them to build a stronger relationship and understanding between themselves.
True emotional understanding means a lot more than understanding one’s own emotions or the emotions of others. One needs to be able to put this information to work in a daily communiqué.
4. Empathy
Empathy, or being able to detect one’s feelings, is absolutely necessary in emotional intelligence skills. But it means more than just recognizing one’s emotional state. It also means proper response to the acquired information. How do you respond when someone is feeling broken, sad, or hopeless?
Just showering sympathy will be a futile effort to lift their spirit. Being empathic means distinguishing if one is feeling down and doing something about it so the person can come out of the current miserable state, or at least take a step to come out of it.
Empathic people remind the person who is feeling down that though he/she has faced hardships, all is not over yet. He/she has to move forward to make things right. An empathetic person fills another person with positivity.
5. Motivation
The fundamental motivation is another important emotional intelligence skill. Emotionally intelligent people get motivation beyond earthly things, like money, fame, position, or prize.
They have a passion for fulfilling their internal needs and objectives. They look for internal prizes, experience flow from being in sync with some action, and go for the ultimate experience. Those who are capable in this field are very active & good initiative-takers. They constantly try to improve.
Why Emotional Intelligence Is Important
Having strong emotional intelligence can be very beneficial for a person in his/her personal/professional life. People with strong emotional intelligence can always maintain their calm & can handle any uncomfortable social circumstances with ease. Some of the importance of having strong emotional intelligence is as follows:
1. Leadership
People with strong emotional intelligence skills tend to be good leaders. Their capability to handle a task & positive traits force people to rely on them. They look him/her up as someone who can guide them to the achievement they are working so hard for. An emotionally intelligent person can prove to be the nucleus of a group.
2. Communication
An emotionally intelligent person can communicate more freely & effectively with others. As we all know, effective communication is very important in our personal/professional lives.
If we can communicate well with our group in the workplace or with our family and friends, it will result in stronger bonding & understanding. We don’t need to remind ourselves how it can be beneficial for personal/professional growth.
3. Self-Awareness
Being optimally self-aware is an advantage an emotionally intelligent person enjoys. By being so, he/she becomes fully aware of his/her potential & shortcomings.
Accordingly, he/she can act so that the shortcomings don’t hamper his/her progress. The individual also works diligently to address their internal faults to improve performance and become a better and more efficient person.
4. Self-Control
To be an effective self-controller, one has to have very stable emotional intelligence skills. Controlling one’s emotions and expressing them at the appropriate time and place is crucial for success in both personal and professional domains. This self-control also enables us to have some excellent social skills.
Read More: 8 Ways To Stop Being Immature Emotionally
5. Stress management
Due to the hectic lives we lead & busy schedules we have, almost all of us suffer from some amount of stress, but an emotionally intelligent person handles & manages stress in an effective manner. An emotionally intelligent person can maintain a positive attitude and effectively manage conflicts, even when others struggle.
This emotional intelligence enables one to handle the hardships & stress raised by the difficulties & to stay positive-minded no matter what.
Conclusion
If we adhere to the words of famous author Eric Jensen, he said, “There is no separation of mind and emotions; emotions, thinking, and learning are all linked.” We know we cannot separate emotions from the mind. That will make us some emotionless robots. However, these emotions can sometimes behave in ways that we find unacceptable.
If we try, we can control our emotions & use them for good. We cannot achieve this overnight; it necessitates consistent practice, comprehension, and commitment. We hope you like our post about what emotional intelligence is.
