What's Life Without Emotional Mastery?

When you think about what it means to have a good quality of life, what does that mean to you?

To some, a good quality of life is determined by physical health. To others it might be about having quality relationships. Maybe it’s about having a fulfilling career. Or perhaps having a high quality of life depends on all of the above and then some!

Nobody has a definitive answer really.

But for the purpose of this blog, I want you to consider this: your quality of life is determined by your emotional quotient or EQ.

I don’t believe that the aforementioned factors have an objective way of being measured, because each person is different. Case in point, having a fulfilling career might not be as satisfying for person A as it might be for person B.

When we evaluate somebody’s EQ, however, we focus more on their perception of their own circumstances. Although EQ has no definitive way of being measured either, I would still consider it more accurate because rather than assessing how a person’s life looks to other people, a person’s EQ can determine their perception of their own life.

If somebody has a low EQ, for example, they are less likely to have meaningful relationships/friendships and more likely to struggle with handling stress from their professional and personal life. Because of their additional difficulty in dealing with their emotions, they will naturally view their life circumstances from a pessimistic standpoint.

Someone else with a very high EQ, who has the same life on paper, on the other hand, is likely to have a more optimistic view of their circumstances because they have greater emotional capacity. They would have more optimal emotional health, so they’d interpret their life more positively and their positive perception effectively gives them a greater quality of life. They get more out of the same life as the person with a low EQ, because they are open to enjoying it more and have a better relationship with themself.

With this in mind, I strongly believe that we could all improve our quality of life if we focused on increasing our EQs.

So how can you achieve emotional mastery and increase your EQ?

There are so many ways to increase EQ, but I’ll share a few based on each element of EQ.

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For an in-depth understanding of EQ, click here to watch my YouTube video, “5 Ways Authenticity Boosts Your Emotional Intelligence”.

🎥 Click to watch

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1)   Journaling (for Self-Awareness)

Taking the time to assess your emotional environment by writing down your feelings is a great way to practise self-reflection and become aware of your emotional state.

2)   Pause before you react (for Self-Regulation)

Taking advantage of that small gap between a trigger and your response gives you the opportunity to shift from an emotional state of mind into an emotional state of mind and take appropriate action.

3)   Listen more (for Social Awareness)

Paying attention to not only what others say, but how they say things is key in being able to identify emotional changes in others.

4)   Be present (for Relationship Management)

When you choose to be in the present moment with someone, whether it be lending an ear or belly laughing over a silly moment, that can really help to build and strengthen a bond.

I’d love to hear your opinion on this topic. Feel free to share below : )

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