Emotional Intelligence: Importance, Benefits & Ways To Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

We all have witnessed such people in our lives who are well-aware of their emotions as well as of the people around them, are empathetic in nature and show care and respect towards others, and know what to say and how to say it so the next person couldn’t feel bad.?

That’s because they are more emotionally intelligent people!

It has to be noticed that people with low emotional intelligence often feel overwhelmed and depressed and are unable to stay productive in their day-to-day life.?

Whilst people with high emotional intelligence stay calm even in stressful situations as they have full control over their emotions and have assertive communication especially while dealing with difficult people.

Let’s have a look at what exactly emotional intelligence is, its benefits, and how you can improve your emotional intelligence to live a better life!

What is Emotional Intelligence?

In simple words, emotional intelligence is one of the essential skills that you need in order to better recognize, acknowledge, and manage your emotions. Furthermore, this skill also helps you to understand the emotions of others so you can maintain good relationships with them.?

4 Major Elements of Emotional Intelligence

Here are the main characteristics of emotional intelligence.?

1# Self-Awareness

It's important to be aware of your moods, how they affect others, and what triggers them. Self-awareness is also important because it allows you to make better decisions based on what's happening in your life right now—instead of letting past experiences dictate your reactions or decisions.

To be self-aware means that while other people may appear upset or angry at times (which can be difficult), we know when something has happened that makes us feel upset or angry ourselves (even if we didn't do anything).

2# Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the ability to control your emotions and impulses. It is very important because it allows you to think before acting on impulses and prevent yourself from acting on them in the first place.

• They can delay gratification when they feel like eating chocolate cake for dessert after dinner instead of taking a walk around the block first (which would be better for their health).
• They're able to resist temptation when someone offers them a drink without realizing how much more expensive it would be than buying one at a store (or even just having one at home).

3# Social Skills

Social skills are the ability to understand and respond to the feelings of other people, which includes:

• Recognizing that people have different personalities
• Understanding how you might react in various situations (e.g., if a boss is yelling at you, what would you do?)
• Managing relationships with others (e.g., giving feedback)

4# Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. This can be especially important in all relationships, especially professional ones.

Benefits of Emotional Intelligence

It has to be seen that those with high emotional intelligence can better manage their personal and professional life. Here are the most common benefits of emotional intelligence.?

1. Helps you to have better relationships with others.?
2. Motivates you towards your personal or career goals.?
3. Improve your decision-making power.?
4. Helps you to respond instead of reacting even when you don't agree with the other's opinions.?
5. Polish your leadership skills.?
6. Enables you to handle undesirable situations in a good way while having an element of empathy.?
7. Allows you to better communicate with others while working together.

Ways to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

Want to improve your emotional intelligence? Here are the 5 most effective ways to do so.

• Acknowledge & Appreciate Your Emotions

The very first step towards your emotional intelligence journey is self-awareness. Recognize or be aware of your emotions, and try to understand them. If possible, ask yourself. Can you name the emotions you are feeling right now or in stressful situations??

How do you usually respond? No matter what your findings are, accept yourself and your emotions. Because that’s how you can manage your emotions in a better way and improve your communication skills.?

• Be an Active Listener

Be present at the moment while having a conversation with others. Try to listen and acknowledge what the next person is saying. Do not listen to respond but understand what is being said.

In addition, avoid being aggressive when you do not agree with others' opinions. Instead, show some respect and tell your viewpoint in a polite way.?

• Ask For Feedback & Take Criticism Constructively

Taking feedback or criticism constructively is one of the most effective ways to improve your intelligence. Undeniably, while doing something or working on something, it is necessary to ask for feedback from a reliable person.?

If you get negative feedback, instead of feeling anxious or angry, rather think out of the box. Try to understand who is giving you the feedback and whether it will help you to achieve what you want or not, and so on.?

• Don’t Let Anger/ Jealousy Rule Your Actions

If you want to be emotionally intelligent, learn how to communicate effectively and how to tell your viewpoints without disrespecting others' opinions.?

Let's get real. Almost every one of us behaves aggressively, especially during instances of conflict. But that's not what emotional intelligence does. They never let their emotions rule them. So, try to be calm as much as possible and don't let the emotional outbursts ruin the situation.?

Avoid making impulsive decisions because it can create worse issues as a consequence. In such scenarios, your main focus should be to make a conscious choice that can bring a good outcome.

• Learn How To Empathize

Without a doubt, having an element of empathy is one of the essential components of emotional intelligence. If you want to become a person with high emotional intelligence, you crucially need to understand the power of empathy in relationships.?

Acknowledge that empathy is emotional strength, not a weakness. If you have a basic knowledge of human psychology and how it works, you can easily develop empathy in yourself which will eventually help you to improve your emotional intelligence and have a better relationship with others.?

I look forward to your thoughts below and?@Zohaibkhan.92 .