Do You Wish You Would've Understood Emotional Intelligence Earlier in Life?

Admittedly, I didn't know what emotional intelligence was until my forties. I did pick up a lot of valuable information throughout my life that gave me insight into how to react or not react in certain situations. It can be tough to admit, but there might have been times in my life when I didn't handle a situation as well as I could have. Would I have ended up marrying the person I did? Would my marriage have a better chance of surviving? Would professional relationships end differently? Would I have chosen the same career path? EI can be learned at any stage in life, and it's never too late to start! In this blog post, we'll discuss what emotional intelligence is and some tips on how to improve your EI skills. At How Are You Feeling, we believe that emotional awareness is the cornerstone of EI and how it's the foundation for our kids' understanding and development of Emotional Intelligence.

Why is EI so Important for our Kids?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is an essential skill for our kids to develop, as it helps them to navigate the challenges of growing up. Here are three reasons why emotional intelligence is so important:

1. It helps kids to develop self-awareness. When kids recognize and understand their emotions, they can better manage them. This can lead to improved mental health and well-being.

2. It helps kids to build positive relationships. Emotionally intelligent kids can better relate to others and build solid and healthy relationships. This is essential for their social and emotional development.

3. It helps kids to cope with stress and adversity.  Emotionally intelligent kids have the skills they need to cope with stressful situations. This can lead to increased resilience and emotional stability.

Emotional intelligence is clearly a valuable skill for our kids to develop. We can help them build the foundation they need for a successful and happy life by teaching them how to be aware of and understand their own emotions.

Identifying Emotional Attachments

We know that emotional intelligence is linked to success in life, so we must start teaching our kids emotional intelligence from an early age. One way we can do this is by helping them to become aware of their emotions. This means teaching them to name their feelings and recognizing when they're feeling them. This means identifying emotional attachments that kids can have at an early age. We can also help them to understand how their emotions affect their behaviour and the behaviour of others. Once they're aware of their feelings, we can teach them coping strategies for managing them. This might include processing emotions as they're occurring, deep breathing and positive self-talk. By teaching our kids emotional intelligence, we're helping them set themselves up for a successful future.

The Importance of Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is a critical life skill our kids need to learn to succeed. It involves being aware of one's own thoughts, feelings, and actions and how they impact others. Self-awareness also requires regulating emotions, setting boundaries, and managing stress. Teaching our kids to be self-aware will help them develop into well-rounded adults who can navigate life's challenges confidently. Additionally, self-aware individuals are typically more successful in their personal and professional lives. When our kids are self-aware, they are better able to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Therefore, it is clear that self-awareness is a valuable asset for our kids to have. Helping them develop this skill is one of the most important things we can do as parents.

How to Manage our Emotions?

Emotions are a normal and healthy part of our lives. They help us to express ourselves, connect with others, and respond to our environment. However, sometimes our emotions can get the best of us. When this happens, it can be helpful to have some practical tools for managing our emotions.

One tip for managing emotions is to label them. This can help us to better understand what we are feeling and why. For example, if we are angry, we might ask ourselves if we feel frustrated, disappointed, or hurt. Once we have identified the emotion, we can address it more constructively.

Another helpful tip is to regulate our breathing. When we are feeling anxious or stressed, our breathing tends to quicken. This can aggravate the emotional response and make it harder to think clearly. Consciously slowing down our breathing can help to calm us down and lower our stress levels.

Finally, it is important to express ourselves in healthy ways. When we bottle up our emotions, they can be unhealthy, such as anger, irritability, or isolation. Instead, try to find constructive outlets for your feelings, such as talking to a friend, writing in a journal, or participating in a group therapy session.

If this is something we, as adults, struggle with occasionally, imagine how our kids deal with things with their limited experience.

Improving Your Relationships

Here are a few ways you can improve your relationships with others through emotional intelligence: 

1. One way to improve your relationships with others is by learning to regulate your emotions. If you can manage your own feelings, you will be better equipped to deal with the emotions of others. This will allow you to respond more constructively and avoid conflict. 

2. Another way to improve relationships is by learning to read other people's emotions. This includes being able to read body language and facial expressions. When you can interpret how someone is feeling, you can respond in a way that will improve the relationship. 

3. Lastly, it is vital to create positive relationships with others. This means having empathy for others and being able to see things from their perspective. It also involves communicating effectively, listening attentively, and resolving conflicts constructively. If you can do these things, you will likely have better relationships with others.

Conclusion

If we want to create a generation of emotionally intelligent and successful adults, we must teach emotional intelligence in our schools. The good news is that many schools are beginning to see the importance of teaching EI and are changing their curriculums. Many private schools have embraced our How Are You Feeling program, and some claim to have their own programs. But there is still more work to be done. We need to continue to advocate for emotional intelligence education so that all children have the opportunity to learn this essential life skill. What can you do today to help support emotional intelligence education?