It is quite normal that someone being intelligent is unable to build a healthy and thriving relationship. Relationships demand not only intelligence but understanding between the partners as well. Being intelling alone is not enough in such scenarios and one needs to be emotionally aware as well to build a long lasting relationship.
Emotional intelligence and relationships are closely related as they require both the partners to be aware of their thoughts and feelings. Complex situations between the partners can be avoided if they know how to control their emotions and act accordingly.
What Is Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?
Emotional quotient or emotional intelligence is a common term used in psychology. If someone is able to identify emotions, both their and of others he is said to be emotionally intelligent. It is a repeated question “what does eq mean?” The answer to this question is that if you can identify and manage your emotions positively to help you relieve your stress. It also includes effective communication and empathizing with others so that you can prevent the difficult situation. You can learn life-changing lessons from nature about growth and balance to help build a stronger and healthier relationship.
Moreover, being emotionally intelligent is the key to achieving your goals and building a stronger relationship. Be it your school life, work life or any other aspect of your life, you can perform well in it by identifying what they demand. Like intelligence quotient (IQ), emotional intelligence is also measured through different assessment tests. IQ is the measure of cognitive abilities while EQ represents one’s emotional capabilities.
The 4 Key Skills To Emotional Intelligence:
Emotional intelligence is a broad area and it requires acquiring several skills that benefit you and your aims. The 4 key skills that help you to become more emotionally intelligent are:
Self Management
When you get emotionally aware of yourself, you easily can get a hold of yourself as well. You become more vigilant towards certain things and are able to control your negative feelings and behaviors. You easily adapt to difficult situations that require your mind and focus. You become strong and take initiatives that help you achieve your commitments.
Self Awareness
Getting to know yourself is actually what you want to extract from your emotions. When you understand the triggers to your mood and behavior, you can easily avoid them and stop being distracted by them. As a result you gain a lot of self confidence because you know your strengths and weaknesses. Being self aware is the key to being successful in your relationship. You can train your brain for a happy brain and boost happiness to improve your emotional intelligence and strengthen your relationship.
Social Awareness
With emotional intelligence comes social awareness as well, where you understand the emotions of others around you. You empathize with the people around you, the ones you deal with and manage your relation with them. You understand the power dynamics and it helps you to grasp the emotional cues of people in your surrounding. Your social dealings also get better due to this aspect of your personality.
Relationship Management
Emotional intelligence and relationships go hand in hand. Emotions are the base for any relationship to thrive. If the partners are not emotionally aware of themselves they make wrong decisions that ultimately affect their relationship in the long run. It involves clear communication, empathy and teamwork between the partners.
How Being Emotionally Intelligent Impacts Relationships
Relationships are built on trust and it comes with emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence positively impacts relationships in the long run. When there is understanding between the partners in a relationship, it becomes easier to make it a successful one. It helps us to understand the changes that are occurring in ourselves, so we can identify the true meaning of our actions.
Intimacy is also an integral part of the relationship and demands awareness as well. When you are aware of the emotional sensitivity of the relationship you understand love and intimacy. You understand and not confuse love with lust and physical relationship. Such understanding is the key in promoting a hea;thy relationship and gives answers to the question “how to control your emotions in a relationship?”.
Building Stronger Romantic Relationships
Romance is a part of the relationship that demands a lot of attention and is quite sensitive as well. A relationship without romance is considered dull and it demands a careful approach. Otherwise the relationship may fall and can end in failed marriages and other related conflicts. Emotions play a vital role in this scenario and require regular self monitoring. Moreover romance should never penetrate your relationship in a way that it gets toxic.
Actively Seek Change In Your Relationship
Emotional intelligence and relationships need not to be rigid, they are prone to change. So when you get a feeling that the relationship is getting a bit rough or is becoming repetitive, you should never fear the change. The change in such a scenario is a healthy one and is like a blessing in disguise. Always look for the cues or even ask your partner for anything they might need. It promotes understanding and the love in a relationship.
View The Challenges You Encounter As Opportunities Rather Than Problems
One important aspect of a good relationship is that it equips you with the skill and authority to overcome the challenges. When you face difficulties, it is an indication that the relationship is going in the wrong direction. Though not every relationship is always in the right direction, timely identification of the problem is the way forward. You can consider the challenge as an opportunity to bring new life into the relationship.
Respect All The Feelings You Have For Each Other
Emotional relationships are built on mutual respect. Partners who respect each other’s feelings are the ones who completely understand each other. As they fulfill one of the most important indicators of a healthy relationship, it is highly unlikely that they will fall apart. Respect is a two two entity, you give it by one hand and receive from the other hand. You should always ask permission from your partner when doing something that can affect the relationship. Consent also plays a key role in the relationship that indicates mutual respect.
Keep The Laughter In Your Love Life
A healthy relationship also demands fun between the partners. Emotional intelligence and relationships are related in a way that it demands from the person in the relationship to have fun in the love life. A happy and thriving relationship always has the partners enjoying some light hearted moments together. You need to engage in the activities that make you happy. Laughter is a good mood lifting activity so when you are emotionally aware about your partner, you can understand the moments where you need laughter to make it a wholesome moment.
Understand Your Partner’s Love Languages
Emotional person characteristics include understanding the love language of the partner. It can be hugging, outing together, dining, cooking or gifting each other. When you understand the needs of the partner, you can easily understand the love language of your partner. It is the best way to strengthen your relationship and build a sense of belief between the two. Journaling can help you in hard times by letting you understand your emotions better and improving your emotional intelligence in relationships.
How To Develop Emotional Intelligence In Relationships: Exercises For Couples
Emotional intelligence and relationships need development as well. To develop emotional intelligence in the relationship, these exercise are a must for the couples:
Practice Active Listening
Listening to your partner with attentiveness is a way to show respect towards the relationship. It promotes understanding and proves your love for your partner. Same should be the case with your partner, if you face some difficulty your partner should be available to listen to you and help you overcome your problem.
Practice Making Eye Contact
Eye contact is also a key component in the relationship that is healthy. Partners when they make eye contact with each other show a sense of love, understanding and acceptance. It exhibits a connection between the partners and can be wholesome. It is a part of love language and promotes a deeper connection.
Express Gratitude
Thanking your partner for the things and any work is a key to building a lasting relationship. You should always be thankful to your partner for being with you through your difficult times. When you show gratitude towards your partner, you are actually making them believe in you and appreciate that you love them.
Play Games Together
Spending time and playing games together can be an effective way to understand each other in a relationship. Games are so effective because they put you in situations that you might face in the future, so it is like a virtual practice for you. You get to know how your partners react in different situations and it ultimately helps in developing your emotional awareness.
The Importance Of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Emotional intelligence is one of the main components of a successful person. It is quite evident that not all intelligent people are successful. It is seen that most of the people who are academically brilliant are socially and emotionally not so good. They face difficulty in dealing with others and their social life gets a hit in all this scenario.
It is because only the intelligence quotient (IQ) is not enough for you to be successful, you need to be emotionally strong as well. This is where your emotional intelligence (E.Q) comes into play. It helps you to effectively manage your stress and not let your emotions cloud your judgement in the sensitive times. So a proper combination of IQ and EQ is essential to be successful in life.
Signs Of Low EQ In A Relationship
As the relationships are built on understanding and love for each other, they can sometimes go wrong as well. Partners can disagree with each other and still maintain a healthy relationship. There should be constructive criticism between them and not just blaming. Both the partners need to be accepting and have an understanding that they can assert something on the other one. But if one or both of the partners have low EQ the disagreement can be really difficult to manage. Some common signs include:
- Struggling to accept constructive criticism.
- Inability to control emotions during tough conversations.
- Unwilling to compromise.
- Having a pattern of strained relationships with friends, family and/or colleagues.
- Blaming others for problems rather than taking responsibility.
- Frequently ignoring or changing the subject when emotional issues are brought up.
- Frequently making insensitive remarks.
- Lacking self-awareness and not having a desire to learn and grow.
- Struggling to identify emotions.
How To Respond To A Low EQ Partner
Your partner might not be willingly behaving in such a manner, there are several different factors that contribute to low EQ. You need to understand the patterns and identify the triggers that bring the change in your partners. You also need to understand the level of your feeling for him.
Furthermore, you need to talk with your partner and help to overcome the situation. EQ is a skill and can be easily learned if learned the right way. So just modify the lifestyle and dodge the triggers that create such a situation.
Conclusion
Emotional intelligence and relationships are closely linked. One who is emotionally aware is more likely to build a healthy relationship. A lasting relation is built on understanding and EQ is a major indicator of it. Along with IQ, your EQ is equally important to make you successful and have a happy life.
Frequently Asked Questions
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