What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (also known as EI or EQ) is about understanding and managing your feelings, and being aware of the emotions of those around you.

Emotional intelligence is an important skill that helps you get through the ups and downs of life.

What are the benefits of emotional intelligence?

Developing emotional intelligence is crucial for personal growth and success. It's a skill that can serve you well in all aspects of life, from school to relationships and beyond.

Having emotional intelligence can improve your health and wellbeing in many ways. For example, students with high emotional intelligence tend to better manage negative emotions such as anxiety, boredom and disappointment.

Other benefits of having high emotional intelligence include being better able to manage the social world around you. It also helps you to form better relationships with your friends and family.

It involves being able to handle stress, communicate effectively, and build positive connections with friends and family. It may also help improve your relationships with others at work. For these reasons, emotional intelligence is an essential life skill.

What are the key emotional intelligence skills?

Emotional intelligence includes key skills such as:

• recognising and understanding your feelings
• managing your emotions effectively
• showing empathy towards others
• managing relationships between different people with care
• coping with change
• dealing with setbacks and failures

What are the signs of high emotional intelligence?

If you have high emotional intelligence, you are likely to be good at recognising, understanding and managing your own emotions. People who have high emotional intelligence can handle stress and difficult situations calmly.

They often show empathy, which means understanding and sharing other people's feelings. They are skilled at communication and resolving conflict between people in a constructive way. They are able to build and maintain positive relationships.

People with high emotional intelligence may also be open to change and show a strong sense of self-awareness.

How can I increase my emotional intelligence?

There are many ways you can increase your emotional intelligence. Here are some tips:

• Self-awareness is key — think about your emotions and how they influence your actions.
• Name your feelings — find words to describe your feelings and try to be specific, since this will help you understand your emotions and communicate them better.
• Practise mindfulness — this is a great way to better understand your feelings.
• Try active listening — listen to others with understanding and show genuine care and support.
• Manage your emotions — stay calm in tough situations by using techniques like deep breathing and stress management.

Once you have done this, set your emotional intelligence goals. It's a good idea to write down and spend time thinking about each of the areas that you feel you need to work on.

You can also read books on emotional intelligence, ask your friends or mentors for feedback, or go to a workshop to help develop tools to increase your emotional intelligence.

Who can help me to improve my emotional intelligence?

Improving emotional intelligence is something you can do by learning skills and practising them. Some people do this alone, but you can also get help from mental health and social services.

You can get help from trained professionals such as counsellors, psychologists and youth workers. Finding a support network is helpful. They can provide tools and strategies for managing emotions and building emotional intelligence.

Resources and support

• Beyond Blue offers a variety of programs and online resources, including:
  • chat support, to help people manage their emotions and mental health
  • resources for people working with older Australians to help promote their emotional wellbeing

• Youth-focused centres like Headspace offer counselling, workshops and guidance in building emotional intelligence.

• The Emotional Intelligence Society of Australia (EISA) website provides information on strengthening your emotional intelligence, training sessions and other events.

• Relationships WA offers courses and workshops, plus information about emotional intelligence in many languages including:
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (simplified)
  • Hindi
  • Myanmar (Burmese)
  • Punjabi
  • Swahili
  • Vietnamese