Many people struggle with emotional intelligence for a variety of reasons which can be due to both psychological and environmental influences. It might be that they lack self-awareness or have been taught to swallow their emotions. Some of it could have to do with cultural or familial differences. Perhaps it’s related to underdeveloped social skills such as the inability to communicate effectively or having difficulty reading social cues. In some cases, it might be impacted by emotional distortion, biases, or past experiences and trauma.
If you find yourself struggling in this regard, here are seven tips to help you improve:
- Become more self-aware. You can do so by devoting a little bit of time each day towards reflection, mindfulness, or journaling. Engaging in any of these activities can help you take a deeper dive into your emotional responses.
- Get better at self-regulation. Do you tend to react immediately? Slow down and take a few deep breaths before responding to stressful experiences. You can also attempt to reframe the situation in a more positive light. Additionally, look for ways to relax when you are experiencing moments of distress.
- Work to become more empathetic. Try to improve your active listening without interrupting people when they are talking. Pay attention to both what the other person is saying as well as their nonverbal cues. Be sure to ask questions to verify your understanding of what was said as well.
- Polish your communication skills. Be sure to give others positive feedback, strive to work on resolving conflicts in a healthy and mutually beneficial way, and do your best to build rapport with those around you by offering help and being there for them when they need you.
- Strive for gratitude and positivity. Always do your best to concentrate on the positive aspects of your life and be grateful for the many gifts that you have. When you perform this sort of analysis, you’ll become more aware of how lucky you are.
- Get your friends involved. Ask them for feedback about how you are doing when it comes to your social interactions or how you handle your emotions. This can help you focus on the areas that you need to improve.
- Do further research. There are so many good books, articles, and videos out there related to improving your emotional intelligence. Dig into them as doing so will help give you a guide for overall improvement in this area.
Emotional intelligence takes some time to master. If you take these seven tips to heart and focus on them regularly, however, your emotional intelligence will improve in a big way. And your relationships with others will also grow in the process, while your everyday mindset becomes more positive and relaxed.