More and More we are hearing about Emotional Intelligence. But what is Emotional Intelligence or EQ ?
6 Seconds, a Global EQ organisation says that EQ is about being smarter with feelings.
Our emotions are with us through out our daily lives.
Positive and comfortable emotions often go somewhat unnoticed – we are happy, peaceful, curious. When emotions like frustration, anger, jealousy, come into play it really tips the balance. We feel out of control, the victim (how dare they?), ambushed!
When our emotions kick in, it is a habitual way of thinking and feeling. It is such a well walked path that it happens before we even know it.
The good news is that we have a choice. We don’t have to be a victim of these responses. Learning how to identify these moments – To be smarter with our feelings takes us from being reactive, to being responsive. The more we can learn to harness and identify our feelings and the responses they trigger, the more choices we have
Below are a few techniques to start your Emotional Intelligence Process.
Name It to Tame It
Labelling the actual feeling can help reduce its intensity. There are so many emotions. Finding a list of emotion words and pondering which word most correctly describes how we are feeling brings thought to our emotions.
Sometimes our first & strongest response is masking a secondary emotion like embarrassment, feeling betrayed or inadequate. Exploring this can also help us respond and communicate our feelings more clearly.
Engage the thinking part of your brain
Thinking about something that is a little difficult for you to do. Name 6 countries that start with a particular letter. Or trying to say the alphabet backwards. Or a puzzle or riddle. Doing this engages the thinking part of our brain which can reduce the intensity of the feelings. Now we can choose how to respond.
Breathe
Breathing really supports us here. Some good deep breathing certainly helps us regulate our emotions. Have you experience box breathing ?
Breathe in for a count of 4 – hold for a count of 4 – breathe out for a count of 4. Repeat at least 5 times.
Mindfulness and Meditation
This lets us notice our feelings, rather thank being taken over by them.
Practice noticing how the sun or a breeze feels on your skin. Wash your hand and actually focus on feeling of the water. Go for a walk and listen to the birds. Stop and smell the roses.
Come ad join us for a meditation at one of our upcoming events.
With love and light
Leeanne and The SFT Team
