This is the article I had mentioned in the previous post. If you haven’t read that yet, I suggest you to take a quick look here- An old article and a new lesson in life!
How does it feel to win a lottery or to come last in a race or be stuck in a traffic jam or to watch someone vomit?
What we feel, happy or sad or angry or disgusted, are all different emotions.
Human beings are very unique, our individuality makes us who we are: each a different individual. But something which is universally shared by all humans is our capacity to express emotions. Even though not of equal intensity, emotions are felt by all people.
Emotions help us to know what our innermost thoughts are or how we are dealing with our situations. They provide a link between our experiences and our reactions to those experiences.
What is Emotion?
The word “emotion” dates way back to 1579 and it was adapted from the French word émouvoir, which means “to stir up”.
In modern world the meaning of the word emotion has become vague. Some may say that emotions are intense feelings that are directed at someone or something.
Types of emotions –
According to psychologists there are six basic emotions: happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise.
Happiness is our reaction to the positive, as disgust is to the revolting and surprise is to the unexpected. Similarly, we react to aversion through anger, to danger through fear, and to difficulty or loss through sadness.
In the animated movie ‘inside out‘ the emotions: joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust were beautifully portrayed as some sort of professionals who worked inside a little girl’s mind.
The Dark side of Emotions!
Sometimes when we feel intense emotion, it shuts our minds. Usually we get carried away and put ourselves in unpleasant situation (remember the last time you were very angry, how you couldn’t think straight and landed yourself in trouble).
We regret most of such situations, as it fills our hearts with great remorse. Emotions can run wild and bring havoc into one’s life. Emotional baggage can make one’s life unbearable.
But the opposite is also possible. If we intelligently manage and control our emotions, we can not only avoid sabotaging our own lives, but we could actually make it better.
Managing Emotions!
The ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions as well as that of others is known as emotional intelligence or E Quotient. EQ is, (if not more than) no less important than IQ (intellectual/intelligence quotient).
What is E. Quotient?
E Quotient or Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of, to control, and communicate one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically in life.
EQ is generally said to include 3 sets of skills:
1. Emotional awareness:
The skill to identify one’s own emotions and those of others. You have the ability to recognize important thoughts, behaviour, strengths and weaknesses.
2. Self management:
The ability to harness one’s emotions and apply them to tasks such as positive thinking and problem solving. It is the ability to manage emotions the healthy way, minimize impulsive behaviour and being able to adapt to change.
3. Relationship management:
This includes both inter-personal and intra-personal skills, the ability to manage and regulate emotions, and to cheer up or calm down another person. You will learn to communicate better and feel at ease with others, to manage conflict and to develop as well as maintain long lasting relationships.
If you can practice and apply the skills of emotional intelligence in daily life, slowly with some time and consistent work you will be able to predict, identify, communicate and control your own emotions as well as of others.
Conclusion:
Emotions can be either harmful or beneficial to us. Just like the proverb, ‘too much of anything is not good’, extreme emotions will always yield bad results. But if we understand and use emotions in the right sense and way, they can change our lives (for the better).
In Charles Darwin’s book “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals“, Darwin argued that “emotions actually serve a purpose for humans, in communication and also in aiding their survival.”
It is upto us whether we let emotions manage us or we consciously choose to manage them.
Resources:
1. Etymology and definitions
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion
2. Emotional intelligence meaning
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/emotional-intelligence
3. Skills of emotional intelligence
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.amp.htm
💬 What did you think of this article? Was it helpful in any way?
💬 Do share how you manage and deal with your’s as well as other’s emotions?
Just found new ways to manage my emotions. Well done.
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I’m glad you did. Thank you so much for the appreciation 🌹
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You are welcome
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Excellent article. Thank you for sharing, I know that sometimes people have a hard time dealing with what they are feeling and the fact that others don’t feel it. I know this post help.
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I agree, sometimes dealing with emotions can seem like a lot to handle.
I hope this post helps someone in someway too, that would really mean a lot to me.
Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing your thought. ☺
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You are most welcome! 🙏🏽
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An interesting read, managing emotions have become quite a significant task in today’s fast lives
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Indeed, today it’s very important to know about managing emotions. Thank you so much for sharing your thought ☺
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You’re most welcome ❤
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Thank you for this post! I’m still working on my emotions. Hopefully one day will get there.
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Keep working and while you’re working on your emotions you’re (almost) there!
Thank you so much for your love, I feel motivated 🌹
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This is a great post.
You have articulated all the right points in here and I’m sure everyone who reads this will have a better understanding of their own as well as another’s emotions.
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Thank you so much for your kind & encouraging words, I appreciate it a lot 😊
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Interesting article. I oscillate between emotions and find some hard to manage. Breathing exercises help to a point.
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Some emotions are difficult to navigate through, I struggle with that too. Thank you for sharing the thought ☺
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Nicely done.
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Thank you so much for the appreciation.
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My pleasure
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Nice read! i use the balcony technique! Every time I encounter a difficult situation I wait a couple minutes, go to the “balcony” and formulate my answer!
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Thank you so much for the appreciation. Balcony technique sounds amazing, thanks for sharing.
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Nice one👍👍
Please follow me also and let’s grow together😊😊
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Thank you & sure thing 😊
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Using a diary to note down the following every day for several days at a stretch will help improve your awareness of your own emotions, and have a control over them:
1. Antecedents: What happened before your emotions? That is, what lead you to emote?
2. Behaviour: Your emotions themselves. Were they appropriate? Were they necessary? Would you react differently next time?
3. Consequences: What happened after you expressed your emotions? How did others react to it? How did you feel after that.
Study yourself slowly, and try to change the way you respond, by thinking about how someone, whom you think is psychologically stronger than you, would have responded. Rehearse when you are alone. Keep trying. It will be a long process, but the hard work will pay you back.
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Thank you so much for taking the time & putting such an effort into this wonderful comment. I appreciate your kind gesture and most definitely I’m going to use the tips as much as I can! Thanks a ton ❤
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Enlightening and insightful
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Thank you so much for the appreciation 🙂
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I’d be interested in your comments on a series of stories I am writing to explore the concept of empathy. The set-up for the stories: The leader of the mythical Veritas tribe seeks an eventual replacement so she sets a series of trials for 12 candidates eventually winnowing down those candidates to one. Here’s a link to the first such trial. https://petersironwood.com/2018/08/07/myth-of-the-veritas-the-first-ring-of-empathy/
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Beautiful post.
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Thank you so much 💛
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