Emotional Intelligence feelings (like surprise) last just a few

seconds. Others may stay longer,

Emotional Intelligence is the unique repertoire creating a mood like happiness or
of emotional skills that a person uses to sadness. Being able to notice and
navigate the everyday challenges of life. accurately label these everyday feelings
is the most basic of all the EQ skills.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to  Being aware of emotions – simply
understand, use, and manage our emotions. noticing them as we feel them – helps
Emotional intelligence is sometimes called EQ us manage our own emotions. It also
(or IQ) for short. Just as a high IQ can predict helps us understand how other people
top test scores, a high EQ can predict success in feel. But some people might go through
social and emotional situations. EQ helps us the entire day without really noticing
build strong relationships, make good decisions, their emotions. Practice recognizing
and deal with difficult situations. emotions as you feel them. Label them
in your mind (for example, by saying to
More Than One Kind of Intelligence yourself “I feel grateful”, “I feel
 You may have heard people mention frustrated”, etc.) make it daily habit to
“IQ” when talking about intellect and be aware of your emotions.
how smart someone is. (For example,
“My brother doesn’t need to study as Understanding How Others Feel and Why
much as I do because he has a really  People are naturally designed to try to
high IQ.”) IQ stands for “intellectual understand others. Part of EQ is being
quotient”. It can help predict how well able to imagine how other people might
someone may do academically. IQ is feel in certain situations. It is also about
just one measure of our abilities, understanding why they feel the way
though. they do. Being able to imagine what
 One way to think about EQ is that it’s emotions a person is likely to be feeling
part of being people-smart. (even when you don’t actually know) is
Understanding and getting along with called empathy. Empathy helps us care
people helps us be successful in almost about others and build good friendships
any area of life. In fact, some studies and relationships. It guides us on what
show that EQ is more important that IQ to say and how to behave around
when it comes to doing well in school or someone who is feeling strong
being successful at work. emotions.
 There are many other kinds of
intelligence in addition to intellect. For Managing Emotional Reactions
example, spatial intelligence is the  We all get angry. We all have
ability to think in 3D. Musical disappointments. Often it’s important
intelligence is the ability to recognize to express how you feel. But managing
rhythm, cadence and tome. Athletic, your reaction means knowing when,
artistic, and mechanical abilities are where, and how to express yourself.
other types of intelligence. One When you understand your emotions
important type of intelligence is and know how to manage them, you
emotional intelligence. can use self-control to hold a reaction if
now is not the right time or place to
Being Aware of your Emotions express it. Someone who has good EQ
 Most of people may feel different knows it can damage relationship to
emotions throughout the day. Some react to emotions in a way that’s
 disrespectful, too intense, too Emotions are what you feel on the inside when
impulsive, or harmful. things happen. Emotions are also known as
feelings.
Choosing Your Mood 1. Afraid: feeling fear and worry
 Part of managing emotions is choosing 2. Angry: feeling mad with a person, act or
our moods. Moods are emotional states idea
that last a bit. We have the power to 3. Ashamed: feeling bad after doing wrong
decide what mood is right for a 4. Confident: feeling able to do something
situation, and then to get into that 5. Confused: feeling unable to think clear
mood. Choosing the right mood can 6. Depressed: feeling sad, blue,
help someone get motivated, discouraged and unhappy
concentrate on a task, or try again 7. Embarrassed: feeling worried about
instead of giving up. People with good what others may think
EQ know that moods aren’t just things 8. Energetic: feeling full of energy
that happen to us. We can control them 9. Excited: feeling happy and aroused
by knowing which mood is best for a 10. Glad: feeling joy and pleasure
particular situation. 11. Jealous: feeling upset when someone
has something that you would like to
Under Construction have or they get to do something you
 Emotional intelligence is something that wanted.
develops as we get older. If it didn’t, all 12. Lonely: feeling alone and that nobody
adults would act like little kids, cares
expressing their emotions physically 13. Proud: feeling pleased for doing well
through stomping, crying, hitting, 14. Relaxed: feeling at ease and without
yelling and losing control! Some of the worry, calm
skills that make up emotional 15. Stressed: feeling intense, tired, uneasy,
intelligence develop earlier. They may and overwhelmed.
seem easier: For example, recognizing
emotions seems easy once we know Types of Responses
what to pay attention to. But the EQ 1. Passive Response
skill of managing emotional reactions - Behaving passively means not
and choosing a mood might seem expressing in your own needs and
harder to master. That’s because the feelings, or expressing them so
part of the brain that’s responsible for weakly that they will not be
self- management continues to mature addressed.
beyond our teen years. But practice - Not usually in your best interest,
helps those brain pathways develop. because it allows other people to
 We can all work to build even stronger violate your rights.
emotional intelligence skills just by 2. Aggressive Response
recognizing what we feel, - Behaving aggressively is asking for
understanding how we got there, what you want or saying how you
understanding how others feel and feel in threatening, sarcastic or
why, and putting our emotions into humiliating way that may offend
heartfelt words when we need to. the other person.
- Never in your best interest, because
it almost always leads to increased
conflict.