Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence or emotional quotient is the ability of an individual to recognize and manage their emotions as well as the emotions of others around them, in a private or a in a group. It is a modern concept and was developed by Daniel Goleman. Managing emotions in a positive manner can help relieve stress, communicate effectively, build strong relationships, achieve success at school or colleges, and to fulfill our goals. A person who is emotionally stable finds it easier to communicate with new people, make better decisions, and to connect better with others.  It is a part of our personality that we can develop and learn at any age with the help of various techniques.

Components of Emotional Intelligence are:

1.  Self Awareness – it is a skill where a person is aware of his/her emotions and the affect their emotions have on them. The person is also aware about what causes their emotions to occur and what effect emotions have on them.  A person should always have an accurate self assessment of their emotions as it can help develop the feeling of being confident in them.
2. Self Regulation – it is a skill where a person is able to manage their emotions and their impulsive behavior. It also means that a person is able to channel their emotions in a healthy way. It also requires a person to be adaptable to the changes in their surrounding rather than having impulsive feelings about the change. A person should always make an action based on what is appropriate and what is not appropriate.
3. Self Motivation – it is a skill where a person is motivated to achieve their personal goals that they have set for themselves, or improve their personality. A person is committed to their goals and it always ready to act whenever the opportunity is present. A person who is self motivated always makes an initiative towards things and always has an optimistic approach towards things.
4. Social awareness – it is a skill where a person has empathy towards other’s emotions and situations. They have the ability to understand others better as well as help them to develop their emotions. It is fairly difficult skill to achieve as it requires understanding both the verbal as well as non verbal communication of the other person. it also requires a person to be politically and socially aware about their surroundings.
5. Social Skills – it is a skill where a person has the ability to have an influence over others, has better communication skills, and has a better ability to manage the conflicts that arise. They are good leaders as they are better at handling the situations as well as have good communication skills.

These components are the skills that a Emotionally stable person has achieved over time. They have a better understanding of their emotions as well as the emotions of the others and know how to regulate them in a positive manner. They are aware about the reasons that cause their emotions to become impulsive and know how to channel them in a positive manner.  

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

It is important to have an understanding of our emotions as it can lead to better management of those emotions. Having a good IQ is not enough to achieve success, or to fulfill your goals, having a good EQ is equally important as it helps us to manage ourselves in situations where we can have immense stress or our emotions becoming overwhelming.

Emotional intelligence has an effect on –

• Our performance at school/college/work as it helps individuals to overcome the complex situations in the social life.
• Our health as if we are not able to manage the stress or our emotions, it can lead to some physical health problems like heart attacks, weak immune systems, etc.
• Our mental health as uncontrolled stress can often lead to serious mental illnesses like depression and anxiety which can hamper the daily life of a person.
• Our relationship as a person who is emotionally stable is able to understand the other person better and is able to resolve the conflict in a better way.