Throughout our lives, we are constantly exposed to pressures, changes, decisions, and complex relationships. In the midst of this, understand what we feel (and why), becomes essential for dealing with everyday challenges. It is in this context that Emotional Intelligence gains relevance.
Develop Emotional Intelligence means to find one poise between feeling and thinking. It is a capacity that can not only be learned, but also cultivated over time.
In this article, we teach that it is a competence available to everyone, if it is constantly practiced. 💭
Oliver Serrant states that the Emotional Intelligence is the ability, aptitude or competence to identify, evaluate, and manage our emotions, those of others, and groups. In addition, people with a high degree of Emotional Intelligence have a high degree of self-knowledge and are also able to feel and perceive the emotions of those around them.
It's much more than “managing feelings” — it involves a deep understanding about how emotions influence our behavior, decisions, and interactions.
By developing Emotional Intelligence, it is possible to become more productive and successful, but also to help others become productive and successful as well. As such, this can have positive impacts both in the work environment and on interpersonal relationships - the tendency is for there to be a greater capacity for conflict management, more effective communication and adaptability to changes.
Emotional Intelligence is a tool to achieve a more balanced life in the various spheres of our life.
By acquiring the ability to identify, manage, and understand the emotions of others, this can have a direct impact on our decisions, on the way we face challenges and adversities, or even in the way we look at the world around us.
In practice, Emotional Intelligence helps us to:
🔹 Make more thoughtful and conscious decisions;
🔹 Reduce the Stress and increase emotional resilience;
🔹 Improve communication and build more empathetic and collaborative interpersonal relationships;
🔹 Increase motivation and focus on a personal and professional level.
It is a way for us to improve our well-being and also an advantage in any social, academic or professional context.
Emotional Intelligence works through the balance between rational thinking and emotional response. This enables us to avoid reacting automatically to situations based on emotions and also the reduce to impulsivity.
This happens in two main levels:
👉 Internal - there is a recognition of one's own emotions, an understanding of their origin and the ability to regulate them, avoiding, for example, an explosion of negative emotions or blockages by anxiety.
👉 External - there is a reading of other people's emotions through facial expressions, tone of voice or body language and adapting to communication showing empathy and respect.
Reading emotions allows us to give meaning to relationships, making them clearer, more authentic, and effective.
As already mentioned, Emotional Intelligence is a competence that can be developed with practice, dedication and focus. Some strategies that can help you develop the degree of Emotional Intelligence:
🔸Practicing self-awareness - Take moments to reflect on what we are feeling and why.
🔸Exercise self-control - Learn to respond with awareness instead of reacting. Mindful breathing or meditation helps to gain space between stimulus and response.
🔸Develop empathy - Learn to listen to others by putting yourself in their place, without judgment;
🔸Improve communication - Try to be clear and always express what you feel with respect and assertiveness;
🔸Be open to opinions - Understand how others perceive our behavior. This practice helps us grow and make necessary adjustments.
The development of Emotional Intelligence requires time, reflection, and continuous practice.
Second Oliver Serrante, people have different personalities, needs, desires, and ways of showing their emotions.
Daniel Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence, built a model that divides Emotional Intelligence into 5 pillars:
✅ It's the ability to recognize one's own emotions and their effects, as well as knowing their strengths and limitations.
✅ It's about ability to manage negative emotions and impulses, always maintaining calm, honesty, and integrity. It also involves flexibility in dealing with changes and being comfortable and receptive to new ideas and information.
✅ Consists of strive to improve or achieve levels of excellence, that is, to move by personal objectives and internal values. Emotionally intelligent people are also persistent in pursuing goals despite obstacles or adversities.
✅ It's having sensitivity to the feelings and perspective of others and have an active interest in their concerns, in addition to being sensitive to what others need to develop and evolve their capacities.
✅ Includes a clear communication, conflict management, ability to work as a team and initiate/manage changes.
These 5 pillars are fundamental to achieve a deep level of Emotional Intelligence, understanding our emotions, those of others, as well as their perspective, and especially of the events around us.
Emotional Intelligence is a competence and, above all, an essential tool for living in a more conscious and balanced way. As we learn to recognize and manage our emotions, we gained clarity in our decisions, empathy in relationships and more resilience in everyday life.
Developing this capacity is something continuous which requires constant practice and reflection, but the benefits are quite evident. Understanding what we feel and what others feel is fundamental to creating more authentic connections and a life with more purpose.
👉 The development of Emotional Intelligence can be accompanied and guided by professionals in the field, such as psychologists. Through the service of Clinical Psychology, we can help develop this competence. We have a team of psychologists ready to help you achieve your goals and a fuller quality of life.
Ferreira, F.O., Fonseca, M.E.S., & Nunes, A.L. and P.F. (2023). Emotional intelligence and its influences on conflict management. Online ID. Journal of Psychology, 17 (68), 219—231. https://doi.org/10.14295/idonline.v17i68.3863
Gonzaga, L., Sarmento, A., Caldeira, C. (2016). Emotional intelligence and optimism in adult subjects. UI_IPSantarém Magazine, 4 (2), 313—328. https://doi.org/10.25746/ruiips.v4.i2.9940
Serrat, O. (2017). Understanding and developing emotional intelligence. In Knowledge Solutions (pp. 329—339). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9_37
