Emotional Intelligence

Until recently, intelligence has been considered the key to success in life. A high IQ was believed to be the ultimate skill for professional achievement and personal happiness, directly linked to your income, health, and education.

Did you know that the IQ Measuring tool was first implemented in the 1800s and we’ve been measuring “intelligence” the same way since? Over the last fifty years, our understanding of what makes someone successful or happy has changed drastically. We now know that emotional intelligence—the combination of emotions and intellect—is what gives some people an edge over those whose main advantage is a high IQ.

It is now generally accepted that a high IQ is no guarantee of success at any level. It is only when a high intellect is combined with emotional intelligence that it is likely to help you get where you want in life.

It’s no surprise organizations today are “measuring” EQ and Emotional Intelligence as much as IQ.

IQ may seem static, however, you can certainly increase your emotional cognition by learning more about yourself, your emotions and your responses to situations…and the key component i they are all under your control.

The Brain and Heart are not separate entities in the body, as much as we have studied them as separate they are “connected”. The Heart communicates with the Brain in two significant nerves from the Heart - part of the Vagus Nerve System. The Heart has many more channels communicating with the rest of the body - moment to moment!

The Heart is continuously in communication with the Brain, providing necessary feedback for the Brain to take action, provide necessary chemicals, direct body functions, and more!

The heart navigates these branches and channels of the Vagus Nerve assisting the Brain with function. We now know the many branches of the Heart are connecting throughout the body, gathering information and relaying messages.

The Message the Brain receives that it’s moving into the PANIC ROOM - when collaborating with the Heart - it might not be so.

When the Heart and Brain are coherent, one does not dominate the other, and the passage of information is not blocked by the intellect.

It may sound strange, but emotions guide most of our decisions. We like activities, situations, or people who make us feel good—safe, loved, appreciated, wanted, and so on. We also try to avoid those where we feel threatened in some way—used, unappreciated, belittled, scared, embarrassed, for example.

When you master the art of emotional intelligence, you not only become aware of your feelings, what triggers them, and how best to manage your reactions to them, but you also develop resilience to stress or anxiety triggers.

Emotionally intelligent people know how to deal with difficult situations or people, both at work and at home. By nurturing their self-awareness and self-management, they understand why they feel the way they do, and how to react appropriately in a given situation.

Just like knowing when to fight, flight, or freeze can be the difference between life and death, knowing how to act or react under certain circumstances makes a difference between successfully managing a difficult situation, or saying or doing something you may later regret.

Self-Awareness and emotional intelligence go hand in hand allowing us to pause, pay attention, and listen to what’s going on around us, instead of being in your head and listening to yourself.