EDITION 6:Making Emotionally Intelligent DecisionsStephen Covey once said, “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it.”
The uncertainties about the future uncovered by the COVID-19 global pandemic have left many students with the need to make various academic and personal decisions. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your ability to identify and manage your emotions and those of others so that you can make better decisions.
EQ is the consequence of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the ability to recognise a feeling as it happens. Your self-awareness can help you understand how your emotions around the pandemic might be influencing your decisions. It is important to guard against making your decision based entirely on how you feel.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What am I trying to achieve?
- What am I doing that is working?
- What am I doing that is slowing me down?
- What can I do to adjust?
Self-regulation
When you understand your emotions, you will be able to manage them more effectively in your decision-making process. The goal is to find balance between how you feel and the facts of the situation.
Many students are feeling anxious, and the fact about studying during the pandemic is that teaching will mainly be conducted online. Instead of allowing the anxiety to turn you into a chronic worrier, think of practical steps you can take to cope effectively with your academics.
Self-motivation
Your level of motivation will determine your ability to focus on your studies and to pay attention. Staying motivated requires delaying gratification and stifling impulsiveness. According to Daniel Goleman, author, internationally renowned psychologist, and science journalist, “being able to get into the ‘flow’ state enables outstanding performance of all kinds”.
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here for a definition of flow.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I know how to motivate myself to do the things that are important to me?
- Am I motivated by internal or external factors?
Empathy
Part of being able to respond to the emotions of others, is having empathy. Developing empathy skills enhances our experiences, relationships, and general understanding of ourselves, other people, and the world around us. Understanding how the pandemic is affecting other students can help you cultivate self-compassion. Self-compassion will help you to be more kind to yourself, regardless of what academic or personal decisions you make during this time.
Ask yourself:
- Do I need to connect with other students to understand how others are coping with similar challenges?
We may react differently, but pain and fear are universal. We all experience pain and fear but may express it differently. We can all learn from each other.
Social skills
Being able to manage the emotions of others constructively, is an essential part of EQ. People with a high EQ are often seen as likeable, calm, and easy to work with.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I seek cooperation and helpfulness when dealing with others?
- Am I better at solving problems alone or with the support of others?
- Am I better at resolving conflicts and negotiating disagreements?
If you would like to cultivate a higher level of EQ and effectively express traits of self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skills, read carefully through the documents below.
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