Over the past few years, emotional intelligence (or EQ for short) has become one of the most popular psychological theories. It looks at how we influence each other through our emotions and how these interactions are influenced by your own level of empathy, self-awareness, and regulation.

Most people agree that being able to recognize and manage your own emotions is an essential part of personal growth. When you’re aware of what makes you feel good about yourself and what doesn’t, you can more effectively use those experiences to develop confidence and strength in areas that matter to you.

There have been many studies showing that having higher levels of emotional intelligence correlates with better success in life. And research is increasingly linking it to improving workplace productivity, enhancing relationships, and even helping prevent mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

While some argue that IQ or “intellectual” ability should get more credit than emotion when it comes to success, there’s no denying that successful individuals tend to be emotionally intelligent.

So why don’t we teach this skill more often? Part of the reason is that developing EQ isn’t always as straightforward as telling someone to think about their feelings more. That could actually make things worse, since overthinking sometimes creates stress.

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Have patience

When it comes down to it, being able to identify your emotions is only half of the equation. The other part is knowing what to do with that knowledge once you have it. This can be tricky because everyone experiences pain and suffering differently, so there are no hard and fast rules for responding to them.

That said, there are some strategies that have been shown to work when it comes to helping yourself feel better. And while most of these tips focus on changing how you're feeling at this moment, some also look at longer term effects.

This article will go into more detail on several tools that can help you apply emotional intelligence in everyday life.

Make eye contact

Looking at someone’s face is one of the most fundamental ways we connect with each other. It helps us understand who they are and what they want from us, and gives them an opportunity to see how well they are doing within our limited perception.

When making direct eye contact, you should be able to look long enough to get a sense of whether the person is looking back at you or not. If they do not have their attention focused on you, then it may indicate that they are feeling insecure, uncomfortable, or distracted.

It can also help determine if they like or dislike you, and if so why. A small smile or warm gaze will make people feel more positive about your personality, while a less friendly expression could tell you something about a potential clash of personalities.

Keeping your eyes away from theirs can create distance and lack of connection. This can sometimes be due to unintentional hurt feelings, but it can also be because they might not agree with you or trust you.

Be realistic

A lot of theories about emotional intelligence focus heavily on having strong emotions, but that’s only part of it. What people really need is not just access to their feelings, but also how they manage those feelings.

Some people have a way of staying calm even when things are going terribly wrong. They may be good at putting aside thoughts of anger or revenge until later.

Other people seem to carry around lots of energy without knowing what to do with it. They might get so excited about something that they run around doing all sorts of crazy things.

Both of these traits help you stay level-headed and keep yourself from acting on instinct. It takes more than just having certain feelings to feel smart. You have to know what to do with them too.

Share your feelings

In our society, we are taught to keep our emotions hidden very frequently. When you do this, you not only hurt yourself, but also others around you who may be close to you.

By keeping these secrets inside, you create inner turmoil that can sometimes lead to doing things you wouldn’t otherwise.

It's important to learn how to deal with your emotions so that they don't get the best of you.

When you're able to identify what is causing you stress or anger, you can work on removing the source of it or reducing its intensity.

You could try talking about the problem or asking for help, but more importantly, trying to understand why the person caused that feeling.

Be honest with your peers

As mentioned before, emotional intelligence is not just for professionals – it’s something that everyone can develop. But there are some things that job seekers need to be aware of when trying to apply these skills to everyday life.

One of those things is being honest with people. You should never make false promises or statements to someone if you know they expect you to keep them. This could include telling someone they aren’t qualified enough to do something or telling them they shouldn’t think about doing something because it isn’t good for their career.

By being honest, you take away one of their main tools for success — hope. They might begin to lose trust in you and even stop looking out for you, which would hurt you in the long run.

On the other hand, by being truthful, you help others succeed and move forward with their lives. If they find out later that you didn’t give them what they wanted, then they will probably feel like fools for thinking that you were capable of helping them.

Listen to others closely

When you are listening to someone, try to understand their point of view and what they want from you. What emotions do they seem to be feeling? Are they speaking with passion or indifference?

Try to determine if these emotions are positive or negative – self-reflection is a key part of emotional intelligence. If possible, you can ask questions to find out more about the person and what may be causing this emotion.

By using your ears as an instrument, you will learn how to recognize and control your own emotions as well as other people’s.

This article has discussed some ways that you can apply emotional intelligence in everyday life. Now it is time to practice!
Design a sentence based on the following topic and bullet point.

Sentence: Start by observing yourself when something significant happens to you

These are all signs that you are nervous or uncomfortable around this individual. You may also feel tired, distracted, or sleepy. All of these feelings show that you are not fully focused on the conversation.

When you start having those symptoms, stop and think about why you are nervous. Is there a past event that made you unhappy? Or could it be because this person makes you feel insecure or inadequate.

Don’t be egotistical

One of the biggest weaknesses we have as human beings is being too focused on what we want for ourselves. We get so obsessed with success that we neglect other important things like friendship, compassion, and empathy.

We forget that everyone else out there wants something good for themselves. They hope that by helping others, they will feel better about themselves and enjoy their lives more.

By sharing our knowledge and experiences, we give people strength and motivation. This also makes them look up to us and believe that it can be done, which helps them find confidence in themselves.

Another thing that emotional intelligence teaches us is self-control. It takes practice to learn how to control your emotions, but once you do, you’ll notice big benefits in your life.

You’ll feel happier and healthier physically, and even improve your job performance. You’ll spend less time stressed out and more time enjoying yourself.

Be humble

Humility is one of the most important qualities for individuals to develop. This isn’t saying that you should never feel proud or think highly of yourself, but there are times when it is needed less than other traits.

Emotions such as pride and arrogance can be detrimental if they go too high. When your emotions are too high, they can influence how you act and interact with others.

If someone has done something great, they may overcompensate by trying even harder next time or doing more of what made them successful before. Or, if someone else has failed, they might avoid trying ever again because they don’t want to fail like that person.

Humility helps prevent this kind of avoidance and self-contempt. It teaches people not to get overly excited about things or people beyond what is really necessary.

It also encourages people to view themselves as normal, average members of society instead of superheroes who deserve more praise and recognition.

Humble individuals aren’t always first to congratulate themselves either. Rather than focus only on their own success, they will share their knowledge and skills with others so they can succeed too.

This doesn’t mean they ignore their successes, but they acknowledge them less frequently and less dramatically. People who are humble tend to make fewer empty promises about how good they are, and they are less likely to overestimate their abilities.