On October 2nd, 2016, one of the major European (Polish) magazines titled “Zwierciadlo” (in English: “The Mirror”) published an article exploring the topic of human emotions.
The magazine is the Polish equivalent of “Rolling Stone” magazine, and it also explores topics with a focus on finding new ways to improve the quality of life.
The article contains Johanna Kern‘s tips on how to use our emotional intelligence to positively affect our life.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
How to deal with emotions: fight them, or make friends with them?
Being conscious of our emotions can help us maintain our happiness and prepare us to better deal with all the problems and challenges that we face in our life.
Emotions accompany us at every turn, as they are the natural responses to the situations that we are confronted with. They influence our behavior, triggering our reactions. We may also find ourselves in situations when our emotions completely take over and we cannot normally function. We can become overwhelmed, scared or even paralyzed.
The functions of our emotions
We often perceive emotions as unnecessary impulses that make our life difficult, but they are normal responses. Emotions play an important role in our day-to-day living, telling us, among others, what is going on right now, what matters, and whether or not pay special attention to what we hear, see and experience. If we react to something more emotionally, it is probably because it is important for us. Emotions are a significant source of information about our environment, and they can support us in making decisions. Additionally, they are also an essential catalyst in the development of our personality.
Subjectivity of emotions
The same event, fact, phenomenon, word, or image can evoke different emotions and reactions in various people. It is because each of us has had a different experience in life, and we have been differently shaped by our environment and background. How we individually perceive particular things is also affected by our current mood: we can respond to the same experience in various ways, depending on the day. What made us cry yesterday can make us react differently today. That also tells us that our emotions are a natural source of information about whether what is happening to us is important for us at this moment or not. We cannot say that emotions are good or bad – they simply are. We can treat them as a tool to expand our knowledge and learn to listen to them, just as we use our five senses and our logical thinking to understand and define our experience. It is worth it to recognize what they are trying to tell us and use that knowledge to our benefit. Our self-awareness could become one of our greatest strengths.
Emotional intelligence
Each of us knows a man, or a woman, who is a good listener. No matter what situation we are in, they always seem to know what to say and how to respond – so that we are not upset, neglected, or offended. Such people are not only respectful but also caring about others. They always know how to inspire and give us a dose of hope and optimism. They also use their own emotions famously, not allowing them to take control. Instead, they can look at any problem from a distance, and find the best solution. They usually make the right decisions and know when to trust their intuition. Regardless of whether they do or don’t have the upper hand in any given situation, they can see themselves clearly and honestly, knowing how to interpret and express their emotions well. They take criticism well and use it constructively. Such people have a high level of emotional intelligence.
Johanna Kern, multiple award-winning author & transformational teacher has extensive experience in counseling people on life and career paths, health and emotional problems, relationships and family issues, and spirituality.
