We need to be aware of our emotions and be able to manage them to be resilient and stress-free.
Social-emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of and manage one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. However, more is needed to be mindful of our feelings. We must control and utilize them appropriately at the right time and place.
We may think we can control our lives. But life doesn’t come with a plan or a navigational map. Instead, we experience ups and downs from everyday challenges. Some of us even face life-changing and traumatic events. These changes affect us differently. Yet, we acclimate and grow, moving on with our lives.
How can we build resilience through socio-emotional intelligence?
Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and be prepared to face the challenges of another day. Resilience helps us to adapt to challenging circumstances and empowers our growth and further development.
Stress is a physical and emotional response to a particular situation. When we face stress, our body’s stress response mechanism releases several hormones that can cause positive and negative emotions and effects. But, unfortunately, we can hardly control our response to this effect in totality.
Research has shown that stress can shrink our brains. Cognitive signs of stress include memory loss, difficulty thinking, concentrating and decision-making. Hence, regulating stress has a positive effect on our biological self.
There are ways to control stress by attempting to modulate or determine how we handle it. For example, studies have shown that simple activities like showing gratitude, journaling, reflecting, meditating, exercising, or any activity you like to have fun with can help alleviate stress.
References
- Berrios, Raul. (2019). What Is Complex/Emotional About Emotional Complexity? Frontiers in Psychology. 10. 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01606. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334150693_What_Is_ComplexEmotional_About_Emotional_Complexity.
- The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 59, Issue 3, May 2004, Pages P117–P122, https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/59.3.P117. https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/59/3/P117/563601.
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2014/02/06/how-successful-people-stay-calm/?sh=131b1e7c2f79
- Laura Rees, Naomi B. Rothman, Reuven Lehavy, Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, The ambivalent mind can be a wise mind: Emotional ambivalence increases judgment accuracy, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 49, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 360-367, ISSN 0022-1031, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.12.017. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103113000085)
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