Understanding your personal EQ

- Emotions are complex. When we discuss emotions, we're referring to constructions created in our brain that explain how we feel about a specific situation. These are our feelings and they guide how we respond to events and the actions we take. As you know, experiencing emotions can be a pleasant experience or not and it can be intense or mild. It's important to point out that emotions feel very real to us, as real as things that we can see, touch and hear. For the purpose of this course, think of emotions as feelings that you experience. There is so much room for variation between each of us. In the exact same situation, you may feel something completely different to me. There's also the potential for variation within us. Have you ever reacted to an event in an extreme way when you know on another day, it would've only been a mild irritation for you? Our emotions have the potential to affect our behavior and our relationships with others. In life we'll often find ourselves in a situation. We'll have a physiological response such as a racing heart and an emotional response such as fear or excitement, which can then lead to a behavioral reaction. It isn't quite so clear cut in reality, but it's important to know your emotions can play a role in how you interpret the world and behave. To build your awareness of emotions, here's something to try. When you next face a challenging situation at work, schedule some time with yourself to reflect on the situation. This doesn't have to be straightaway. You could wait for a regular reflection session that you might have booked in your diary, maybe once a week. Or when you feel that your emotions have settled enough so that you can process the situation. This doesn't have to be straightaway. You could wait for a regular reflection session that you might have in your diary, maybe once a week or when you feel that your emotions have settled enough so that you can process the situation. Reflect on how you felt in the situation and most importantly, ask yourself why. You might want to note these reflections down in a journal. Is it a particular person or a specific situation that's a trigger for you? Did you respond in your usual way or is there something different about this situation? Can you see any patterns emerging? Is there something about the situation that taps into deeper emotions, such as anger or an insecurity within you? You don't have to change anything about your feelings. That isn't the point of building emotional intelligence. It isn't about changing who you are. Rather, it's about bringing awareness to your feelings which over time may alter how you feel in challenging situations or not. Either way, the invaluable insight that you gain over this self-reflection process will help you to understand yourself better which is the cornerstone of peak performance and wellbeing.