Emotional intelligence: The key to personal and relational success

With the growing number of wounded individuals in relationships, most of these relationships are ending prematurely while in other relationships, partners are experiencing an emotional overload that has led to depression and low self-esteem.

According to an article I read recently, emotional intelligence is our ability to identify and manage our own emotions and others’ emotions towards us.

Of course, there is no perfect relationship. Most relationships are between imperfect people who wish to have a perfect relationship. The capacity to be aware of one’s emotions, control, and express them well is part of this journey of building a healthy emotional life. There is no relationship in which the partners can claim to have no differences.

EXPERTS OF OURSELVES

It is during such interactions that we feel taken advantage of, intimidated by the other person, excluded from the core areas of the discussion, and so forth. Once such feelings build up, and if we are not emotionally intelligent, they pile up and choke us, and the relationship.

Our ability to cultivate a healthy emotional life helps us handle interpersonal relationships with good judgment and empathy. We have to realise that emotional intelligence is the key to both personal and relational success. Emotional intelligence will require that:

1) You become a good student of your emotions and of those within your sphere;

2) You identify how your emotions will be applied in your day-to-day relational and work life; for example, how we think and solve problems is greatly influenced by our emotional state. Knowing this makes us wiser in relating with people.

We must become experts at managing ourselves by being careful how our feelings or affection or disaffection affect our ability to offer a stable environment for corporate and individual interaction.

My questions would be: What makes it hard for us to manage our emotions? How can we control of the negative environments around us? Remember, your ability to recognise your emotional state can help you regulate and manage your emotions, like yelling or shouting back when you are aggrieved. Ask yourself, “How does what he/she has said make me feel?

Can I choose to think differently?” Remaining calm but engaged helps you respond with clarity and care.