Managing Emotional Intelligence to Improve Health and Wellbeing

Its stating the obvious but our bodies respond physically to how we think and feel. This is the 3rd article in a series of 4 describing how emotions impact health and how we can use this fact to improve our wellbeing. The previous article is here.

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to recognise, assess and ultimately control emotions.

Author and brain and behavioural science journalist Daniel Goleman describes Emotional Intelligence as “the capacity to recognise our own feelings and those of others, to manage our emotions and to interact effectively with others”.

Studies suggest that a higher Emotional Intelligence is linked to improved psychological and physical health. It’s understood that the link between Emotional Intelligence and mental health is especially important.

The trick to Emotional Intelligence is being able to manage both the pleasant and unpleasant emotions.

Unpleasant, Fear Based Emotions

Here’s the negative emotions and their associated feelings that have their roots based in fear, that if reduced, can help increase Emotional Intelligence:

Anger – annoyance, irritation, upset, rage and resent

Sadness – depression, discouragement, unhappiness, despair and feeling disheartened

Fear – insecurity, terror and feeling overwhelmed

Uneasiness – agitation, restlessness, discomfort and feeling unsettled

Frustration – aggravation, annoyance, exasperation, impatience and irritation

Hate – contempt, disgust, repulsion, rage and animosity

Confusion – puzzlement, ambivalence, discombobulation and feeling torn or perplexed

Mistrust – wariness, suspicion, apprehension, anxiety and feeling guarded

Vulnerability – sensitivity, fragility, helplessness, reservations and feeling guarded

Loneliness – disconnection, alienation, apathy and feelings of coldness, withdrawal and distance

Fatigue – exhaustion, irritability, lethargy, extreme tiredness, weariness and feeling depleted

Guilt – liability, regret, remorse, culpable and feeling awful

Embarrassment – shock, shame, self-consciousness and feeling flustered

Pain – hurt, agony, despair, devastation, loneliness, misery, bitterness and feeling lost

Pleasant, Love Based Emotions

Inviting more pleasant emotions into our lives will also enhance our Emotional Intelligence and have a positive knock on effect on our physical health and wellness.

Pleasant, positive emotions will better equip us for the less good times, enabling us to manage our reaction to stress, upset or hurt.

Here’s a reminder of all those positive emotions and their associated feelings that are so nourishing:

Security – safety, calmness, comfort, serenity, relaxation, trust and feelings of relief

Love – a feeling of being cared for, warmth, compassion, affection, tenderness and friendliness

Engagement – energy, involvement, interest, absorption, fascination

Happiness – joy, pleasure, delight, amusement, jubilance and feeling glad

Confidence – optimism, strength, empowerment, hope, encouragement

Gratitude – appreciation, thankfulness, satisfaction, fulfilment and feeling touched

Elation – exhilaration, enchantment, exuberance, ecstasy, joy and feeling thrilled

Refreshed – feeling renewed, restored, revived, invigorated and rejuvenated

Surprise – amazement, astonishment and feeling dazzled

Peacefulness – calmness, feeling centred, serenity, tranquillity, stillness, blissfulness, mellowness

Simply reading that list evokes warmth, peace and happiness!

Recognising Emotions

The chances are, you recognise all of the emotions above, pleasant or unpleasant.

You might experience some regularly and some less often, but most of us have experienced most of to some degree and at some point in our lives.

The real trick is becoming aware of which emotions play the biggest roles in your life, and what to do if the unpleasant emotions tend to override the pleasant ones.

TrueTalk is my innovative emotions tech platform that helps to improve Emotional Intelligence by capitalising on emotions data collected from smartphones, apps and social media platforms that are already seamlessly engrained in our lives.

The final article in this series is here and discusses how to use emotions tech to monitor health and wellbeing.