Feeling Down Often? Here’s How to Develop Your Emotional Quotient

Undeniably, life is a journey full of ups and downs. Some days, people are over the moon, while at times, they feel overwhelmed and anxious. Nowadays, many individuals complain of mental exhaustion because of their bustling routine. Between all the personal and professional commitments, they don’t get enough time to look after themselves. As a result, they feel disconnected and low all the time.

Are you going through something similar? There is nothing wrong with feeling emotionally distressed since everyone goes through different phases of life. What is imperative is that you don’t let your emotions and feelings overshadow your judgments and decisions. Here, your emotional quotient (EQ) or intelligence comes into play. It can help you recognize and manage your emotions productively. You will understand how to deal with challenging situations without feeling anxious.

If you don’t have competent EQ skills, let us help you out. Here are seven ways to develop an emotional quotient.

1. Channel Your Emotions Correctly

Most people want to control and regulate their emotions. Well, you can react to emotions or ignore them, but controlling them isn’t an option. For instance, when people sad or distressed, they either express emotions by crying or showing anger. After all, emotions are multi-faceted experiences of our physiological reactions that reflect our feelings.

You might think feelings and emotions are the same things, but they are not interchangeable. It is more about feelings vs emotions because feelings are a conscious experience whereas, emotions manifest in the unconscious mind. Therefore, identify your feelings to channel the emotions appropriately. Psychologists call it the ‘goal-directed behavior’ that helps people become emotionally robust.

2. Practice Self-Awareness

Honestly, trying to manage emotions without self-awareness is like sailing a boat in a thunderstorm. Therefore, practice self-awareness to become aware of yourself and your behavior. Firstly, understand what you are doing and remove distractions from your life. You can find spaces of solitude and silence to reflect on your thoughts and define goals. Similarly, know your emotions to stop feeling uncomfortable. You can pay attention to where that emotion is showing up as a physical feeling in your body and manage the sensations. For instance, if you experience hot flashes occasionally, find the emotion behind it to become more self-aware.

3. Maintain A Positive Attitude

Usually, people think having a positive attitude is about coating a smile on their face and trying to think positively. Well, this is partially true. A positive attitude expands your horizons and encourages you to look at the brighter side of things. You have to fill your brain with positive input. And for this, you can listen to soothing music, read inspirational books, and keep some positive quotes at your work desk.

4. Bounce Back from Adversity

Unsurprisingly, everyone encounters challenges in their life but how you react to those challenges matters the most. Some people know how to stand in the face of obstacles, while others encounter a meltdown. If you cannot cope with challenging situations, learn to bounce back from the adversity. You can practice optimism instead of complaining about everything. In other words, remember to look at the brighter side of things. Similarly, see what you can learn from the situation and ask questions to gain knowledge from the challenge at hand. After all, only positive thinking will set you up for success.

5. Empathize with Others

Empathy is about understanding others’ emotions and feelings. Thus, you should know how to relate with people on a human level, opening doors for mutual understanding and respect. Likewise, learn to center on verbal and non-verbal cues to get valuable insight into your subordinates’ and clients’ feelings. Additionally, you must acknowledge and respect others’ feelings even when you disagree with their decisions or viewpoints. Avoid making comments that are indifferent, judgmental, or rude. Remember, empathy doesn’t excuse unacceptable behavior, but it makes you emotionally aware that everyone has their problems.

6. Learn to Motivate Yourself

There comes the point when people feel nothing can motivate them. If you are also losing interest and feeling demotivated, do something. Perhaps, go salsa dancing, write a poem, talk to a stranger, learn a musical instrument, or anything that aligns with your interests. Once you indulge in an activity, pay attention to how you feel before, during, and after finishing it. These emotions can help in guiding future behavior. For instance, if you had fun dancing, join salsa classes. After all, good feelings always motivate people. 

7. Become A Good Listener

In conversations, emotionally intelligent people tend to listen rather than waiting for their turn to speak. They try to understand the other’s viewpoint before responding or answering the question. In addition to preventing misunderstanding, it shows respect for the other person. Therefore, you must practice active listening by facing the speaker and maintaining eye contact. You have to pay attention to what the other person is saying with an open mind. If you have opposing views, discuss them later instead of interrupting them in the conversation.

Final Thoughts

In today’s fast-paced world, intellectual ability or IQ isn’t enough to thrive; you have to develop an emotional quotient to take charge of your mental health. It can help you understand and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress and negative thoughts. Likewise, you can control impulsive feelings and behaviors and adapt to changing circumstances. Believe it or not, emotional intelligence has become fundamental for our life experiences.