Emotional intelligence aka EQ. What a great 2 word combo. Have you heard of this before?
I heard this combination of words for the first time this year, then I quickly realized that this term has been around for decades... where have I been? Oh ya, right, I have been busy in my external world. Anyways, as I write this post, I would like you to know that I am learning. I am not writing to teach you because by no means am I at a point where I can teach this topic, I am writing to share a personal goal with you. I am going to get smarter, I am going to increase my EQ, and I am simply sharing part of my process with you because I am just getting started.
Before I begin, depending on who you are, how you were raised, how you go about life, you may have been gifted with the ability to tap into your emotions on a daily basis, or even a minute by minute basis. If you're anything like me, emotions are sort of an abstract concept and I seriously have to shut everything off to feel mine. I do however, know what makes me happy, I know what makes me feel good, and "in my groove" I call it. In essence, give me a pair of running shoes, some fresh fruit, a project for productivity, and a podcast and I am good to go... I mean there is more that goes into that mix, but just trying to highlight a point here. Positivity comes naturally to me and in the past, if I felt "off" I would maybe go for a bike ride or run, and while doing so I would analyze my emotions, explain and justify to myself that I feel "off" because x,y,z... This is what I am changing. I am making a conscious shift because being a positive person, doesn't mean you have to ignore challenging emotions.
The shift. The shift I am learning to make, is to get in tune with these other emotions... and just FYI feeling "off" is not an emotion. Apparently there are 730 emotions in the English language and I know "happy" and "off" and "off" doesn't even count haha! Actually, I will give myself a little more credit, over the past two years I have made some progress in this area, but still. Instead of trying to ignore and make myself feel good and happy when I am feeling anxious for example, I am really trying to just observe without modifying or attaching any logic. Because here is the thing, our emotions and thoughts are with us all day, everyday whether we like it or not. We can go on with our life and be so involved externally and not even see what we are carrying around with us, OR we can observe. It's only after we observe, that we are in the position to decide --> to stay with or let go of.
This is SO important, because emotional health is reflected in our physical health. If we can get in touch, we will be better humans and then the magic happens.
I'm not sure if this makes any sense, again I am only getting started on a lifelong learning process but I am starting to understand and actually see the importance of feeling our feelings. The more I learn, the more I integrate into my physical therapy practice, and the more amazing things begin to happen.
These days, I am more curious than anything, and I love the curious feeling.
PS I will continue to write as I work on my goal, read only if it interests you.