7 Easy Steps to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence seems to have become a subject at the forefront of all human resources conferences, instructional programs, and organizational training— and with solid reason.

Evidence shows emotional intelligence plays a significant role in organizational success. High-emotional intelligence individuals perform better and typically experience greater physically and psychologically well-being.

Emotional Intelligence Components

The writer, Daniel Goleman, popularized the idea of emotional intelligence. The 1996 international bestseller, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, brought it to the audience. Initially envisioned by Professors John Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1990.

Salovey and Mayer's emotional intelligence model includes 4 components:

Perceive emotions accurately in oneself and others.
You are using emotions to ease thought.
Understand feelings, emotional expression, and emotional signals.
Maintain feelings for specific purposes.

Studies showed that everybody could learn emotional intelligence. It has become an industry worth a billion dollars, as training programs have proved very efficient in helping people elevate their emotional intelligence and undertake at their finest. But for your own emotional intelligence, you don't need a formal training program.

Below are seven quick and easy ways to increase your emotional intelligence:

1. Label your emotions.

Persons never talk about their feelings because our emotions affect every decision we make. Most people say things like "I had butterflies in my stomach" or a "lump in my throat" much more comfortable than saying what they really think, which is sad or irritating.

Get your feelings branded with real words— frustrated, nervous, misled, etc. Check yourself a few times a day and be careful to see how you feel, even if you don't say it loudly.

2. Consider how your emotions affect your judgment.

Now that you know how you feel take time to consider how these feelings affect your thought and behavior. If you're down, you may be afraid of being rejected, and your chances of success will get reduced.

However, if you're way too excited about a possibility, you may overestimate your odds. This could lead to risk-taking without addressing possible consequences or drawbacks.

To make better decisions, understand how your emotions affect your judgment. You'll balance your perspective with your own reasoning and feeling and thus be better positioned to make choices.

3. Decide whether your feelings are a friend or an enemy.

Each emotion we encounter can sometimes be helpful or unhelpful. The same emotion can affect us positively or negatively, depending on how we use it.

Once you determine what you feel at any moment, consider next whether you're a weapon or an enemy at the time. Anger could be a friend when you stand up against injustice. However, it could be an enemy when you enter a discussion with your boss.

Sadness can assist if it allows you to remember a person you don't have. But it could be an adversary if it hinders your purpose in life.

If you realize that sadness is an enemy, do what you can to regulate your emotions. Try experimenting with different coping strategies to help you. Maybe a few minutes ' meditations can help you calm down. Even a basic activity like walking all over the neighborhood can help you stay positive.

4. Be responsible for your own emotions.

Suggesting that your coworker helps you feel bad about yourself or accusing your boss of making you in a bad mood means letting others control your emotions. Your ability to respond to your feelings requires taking sole responsibility.

Only you can choose how to react to situations and others. Consider this whenever you're tempted to think someone else drags you emotionally. So instead of saying, "He's making me mad," perhaps you'd rather say, "I don't like what he's doing right now, and I'm getting mad."

5. Notice other people's feelings.

The understanding of how others feel is one of the critical aspects of your emotional intelligence. This will stop you from messing up someone you argue with or heading into a fight.

Start paying attention to other emotional states. If you can know how someone feels, you'll best understand how that emotion is likely to affect the thinking and actions of that person.

6. Limit your screen time.

Far too much time on your digital devices will affect your social relations. Studies have demonstrated that having a smartphone presence while spending quality time together can impede closeness and erode faith.

All that screen time can also impair an individual's ability to interpret and understand emotions. And as you read earlier, it's one of emotional intelligence's four critical components.

A 2014 research published in Human Behavior Computers found those preteens who spent five days in an outdoor camp without direct connections to their digital devices significantly improved their ability to understand other people's emotions. This progress in recognizing nonverbal emotions happened in five days without their devices.

It would possibly be a good idea to set reasonable limits on your code.

When you talk face to face, don't have your phone out. Set time off during your day, maybe the first hour after waking up, at lunchtime, or before bedtime. You can't use the phone.

You can really do a good thing by doing digital detox starting now and then. Welcome to your ability to read other people's emotions a few days without your gadgets.

7. Reflect on your progress.

I thought about your success at the end of each day. Have you worked well with a frustrated colleague? Recognize yourself for this.

But then notice the fields you need to strengthen. Have you got some harsh feedback defensive, or has fear stopped you from speaking to your boss? Then be mindful to discover and do better in the long run.

Conclusion

When it comes to emotional intelligence, there is always room for improving your skills. If you feel stuck, you can help by taking part in a training program. And you can still read a book or employ a trainer to help you increase your emotional understanding.

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