Emotional and Spiritual Wellbeing

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Spiritual Intelligence (SQ) will make a difference to your life!

Have you ever wished for calmness, resilience, motivation, good people skills and fulfilling relationships? Do you have a high IQ, but feel lost among people and can't assert yourself? What you need is emotional intelligence!

What is emotional intelligence? It is a type of personal and social intelligence, which includes the following:

 The ability to perceive, recognise, understand and react to the thoughts and feelings of yourself and those of others (emotional awareness);

 To be able to distinguish between various feelings and to name them (emotional literacy);

 The ability to express and control your feelings appropriately (emotional control);

 To be able to listen to others, to have empathy with them and to communicate effectively in terms of emotions and thoughts and

 To use the information in directing your thoughts and actions with the result that you live effectively, motivated and with a goal in mind (relation between thoughts, feelings and behaviour).

It might be helpful to keep in mind that emotional intelligence comprises a large set of abilities that have been studied by psychologists and therapists for many years. Even though this may be true you don't need to have an emotional (or any other)problem to benefit from a course in emotional intelligence. In a certain way it may be seen as life skills with the emphasis on emotions and thinking patterns.

Emotional intelligent people are better positioned to increase their personal and professional effectiveness, enhance their relationships and make effective life and business decisions. EQ encompasses abilities such as self-motivation, persistence, mood-management and the ability to think and hope.

Emotional intelligence is a life strategy. In each situation you have a choice about how you want to react. Your intense emotions may devastate your important personal and business relationships if you are not able to control them. If you can stop yourself to think about your feelings, what the situation means to you and what the most appropriate reaction is that you can have, you will not react on impulse. Being able to do this you will behave more appropriately and you will be able to build better relationships with yourself and others. There should always be a time lapse between the stimulus (situation) and your reaction to it. During that time lapse your have to interpret the meaning of the situation and how you can respond to it. People who are very impulsive and who say and do things inappropriately do not give themselves enough (or hardly any) time to reflect, with resulting negative reactions from others.

One is never too old to learn these skills, but you have to practise and try it again and again. It is only by trying it that they will become integrated and you will be able to apply these skills. Emotional Intelligence is about taking responsibility for you own life and happiness. You don’t blame or find excuses for situations you find yourself in.

An important principle of emotional intelligence is to realise that we cannot change other people. We can only change our reaction to them, in other words we can decide how other people will affect us. We can also change ourselves and work on our growth areas. It is important that you take responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings. Emotional intelligence is about a good balance between feelings and thoughts. Are you aware of your thinking patterns?

Be aware of your thoughts.

Think constructively!

You are what you think.What are you constantly thinking of?

You can feel differently if you can think differently.

Are you open enough to see the possible truth in other’s perspectives?

You are in control of your thinking processes. Be careful of what you are thinking!

Every human being is confronted with feelings and life's challenges

and can benefit from an improved EQ!

Remember!

My feelings come from my needs and my thoughts.

My feelings are an important part of myself. I may not deny, suppress or ignore them.

My fulfilled needs give rise to my positive feelings.