Emotional intelligence is also known as EQ, which involves understanding, using and managing your own emotions in a way that you are able to relieve the daily stresses of life, empathize with others, find creative solutions to problems and communicate effectively with other people. For example: An individual should be able to express herself/himself whenever required and be aware of one’s emotions and feelings. When we talk about the four components emotional intelligence, they are – ???? 1Self awareness – refers to the aspect where you are fully aware and conscious of your own self. You are aware of your actions, the way you behave, the way you act, and about your own emotions. Being self aware in any situation is very important for you to know if you want a certain thing or not. Self awareness comes from within. Later by later, as you have had your experiences, you start knowing more and more about yourself. A very basic example of this could be – like you have not danced in your whole life, but at the age of 20 you have to participate in a contest where you have to dance. When you actually practice, you started developing that it was always inside you, you just need a little training. This means you became self aware of the fact that you know how to dance. 2.Self management – It comes under self control and explains the way you manage your emotions and your feelings. Regulation of one’s own behaviour is one of the things involved. When you have the ability to manage, organise and monitor your own actions and behaviour, it is said that you have self regulation. Self control is also one of the terms included where you have the ability to delay the gratification of your own needs and wishes. For example- you are able to show positive emotions wherever necessary and you learn to diminish the negative emotions. 3.Social awareness- involves being socially aware of others behaviours and actions. Being socially aware, helps you to have a healthy and effective communication, understand other people’s feelings, and empathize with others. A Socially aware individual have traits of interacting and behaving well with others. It helps you to view things from other’s perspective and understand their cultural norms and values. If we try looking at an example – when someone lends you something or helps you pass a difficult situation where you were stuck, you express an attitude of gratitude. Through expressing gratitude, you are socially aware that the person will encourage this behaviour and your relationship with her/him will be/is at good terms. 4.Relationship management –involves the ability to develop and maintain good interpersonal relations, helps communicating, inspiring and influencing others, being in good terms and able to solve conflicts among themselves. Having enough knowledge and positive thinking towards maintaining great relationships, is a trait not everyone can cherish. For example – during a fight, if both the individuals are able to solve the conflict smoothly and through healthy discussion, it is said to be a healthy relationship and the individuals have the potential to manage their relationship. Emotional intelligence is one aspect of yourself that also helps you to succeed at academics, have good school life, great relationships, and to have a clear perspective of your career and goals. Emotional intelligence not only helps you in your academics, but is a life skill that will help you. The kind of emotional intelligence, a self actualised person desires for is the one that comes through experiences of life as we grow and tend to evolve. Unregulated emotions and feelings can have impact on our EQ. If we are unable to regulate and manage our emotions, we are tend to be emotional with low EQ. Struggling with relationships and not able to find solutions to these problems, can indicate low levels of emotional intelligence in an individual. They help in building connections with our own self and with others.
Frequently Asked Questions
The capacity to exert control over one's own emotional state is known as emotion regulation. It involves actions like evaluating a stressful situation to lessen anger or anxiety.
By altering the thought or significance you give to the overwhelming sentiments that occur, you can alter your emotions.
A therapist aims to teach the client skills to recognize and accept emotions and ways to regulate them in a healthy manner.
Dialectical behaviour therapy is the best therapy for emotional regulation in which the core principles are mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
Some common causes of emotional dysregulation include low self esteem, neglect of children, abuse, severe brain injury, and early trauma. Due to biological predispositions for emotional reactivity and low levels of disapproval in their circumstances, people can develop emotional dysregulation.
An individual with good emotional regulation finds it easier to recognize, accept and regulate emotions as per the need of the situation which makes it easier for them to form a healthy relationship with others.
Anger outbreaks, anxiousness, sadness, suicidal tendencies, risky behaviours and other self-destructive behaviours are all signs of emotional dysregulation which impacts important areas of functioning.
The common techniques to develop emotional regulation are Creating a barrier, observing how you're feeling, naming your emotion, embracing the feeling, using mindfulness as a practice, determining your triggers and learning to tackle them.