The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
I have long been of the opinion that the importance of emotional intelligence should never be undervalued.
To my mind it is far more important than intellectual intelligence, spatial intelligence, artificial intelligence or pretty much any other intelligence you could care to name.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
I was having a look at a the great Emotional Intelligence Course Sydney and how they advise staff teams to access this, as interpersonal skills are so key to team cohesion and success. I have to agree being around people who are emotionally intelligent, self aware and emphatic makes life so much easier. Recognizing the importance of emotional intelligence is vital.
So what exactly is emotional intelligence?
Well, Psychology Today define it as follows:
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.
Emotional intelligence is generally said to include at least three skills: emotional awareness, or the ability to identify and name one’s own emotions; the ability to harness those emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes both regulating one’s own emotions when necessary and helping others to do the same.
How do you do in regard to this?
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
My own journey to understanding the importance of Emotional Intelligence
I would say that on the whole that I am emotionally intelligent and this is something I have given a lot of time and energy to throughout my life.
My parents were encourages of emotional expression and would always listen and support us and help us work through problems. Having this in your life as a child gives you a great base.
I studied literature at University which requires you to have insight into emotions and empathy for a the myriad of characters and situations portrayed in the books you read.
My second degree was a Masters in Social Work which involved empathy and emotional regulation , some of the cases I handled were complex and desperate and I need to apply my emotions to critical thinking and problem solving rather than letting them overwhelm me. I also need to identify and mange my feeling so they didn’t get in the way of my making clear headed good decisions for my families
A further postgraduate diploma in counselling and psychotherapy saw me complete 40 hours of my own therapy where I really got a chance to explore my feelings and that emotional awareness has helped me a great deal in my life, through the breakup of my first marriage and the loss of my beloved parents. It saw me tend to myself with kindness and patience and let me feel what I felt without needing to contain it or deny it.
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence
Would I recommend emotional intelligence training?
Emotions are part of life, they are a part of our experience and they are with us for a reason, rather than let them overwhelm us we need to handle them with respect and attentiveness and we need to do the same with other people’s emotions.
If someone is not taught to do this when they are young there can be a lot of unlearning to do and emotional intelligence training is something I would highly recommend.
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The Importance of Emotional Intelligence – Over to you
How’s your emotional intelligence do you consider it a really important thing to nurture and encourage in yourself and in our children? Do let me know in the comments below I love to hear from you
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence is a collaborative post
