Are You Emotionally Intelligent?

Emotions are words we use to identify and describe how we are feeling at any given moment. These experiences are so visceral that we often deem something to be good or bad, right or wrong, by our positive or negative emotional response.

We can distinguish between emotions and the feelings they invoke, but physical symptoms can be confusing and require us to tap into our emotional intelligence. For instance, fear and excitement produce similar symptoms including increased heart rates and clammy hands – emotional intelligence helps us gauge the experience more accurately.

Furthermore, specific emotions manifest more regularly in certain parts of our body. Fear may manifest itself as a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach, whilst anger is often felt in the tightened muscles of the arms and legs. Often, the interpretation depends on whether or not we like the adrenaline rush.

Once we identify a feeling, we create an energetic response in the emotional body. This is what happens when we describe ourselves as falling in love. Whether the event is an intense emotional connection or a mind-blowing physical one, the chemical reaction is similar. Once the event is over, we might analyse the situation and decide that we are not in love after all. But in that very moment, our cells got the message that we were.

Many things trigger an emotional, loving response. Our mood is determined not so much by the event itself, but our perception of the event (i.e. our thoughts and reactions to a situation). You can talk yourself into being in love, just as you can talk yourself out of being in love by perceiving your emotions differently. Theoretically, we can rationalize a crush or get over a lost love by changing how we perceive our emotions.

However, being emotionally intelligent does not mean fooling ourselves or denying our true feelings. In order to believe a perception, we must be convinced of its validity. Be a master of your emotions, not a slave. Once we learn how to read and translate our own body language and emotions, we become more sensitive to the needs and reactions of others. Now, that’s what we call emotional intelligence.