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Category: Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is twice as valuable as IQ in the business world, since the emotional health of the team directly impacts productivity, motivation, engagement and loyalty. This means a person has the emotional intelligence that encompasses an ability to 1) identify and manage one’s own emotions, 2) identify and understand someone else’s emotions, and 3) relate well to others personally and professionally even under the most stressful situations. This requires that a person be self-aware, self-regulating and empathetic. These relationship-based skills are ones wherein women certainly excel.

Somatic Awareness of Body Sensations Empowers You to Manage Your Emotions

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Dream Big - Start Small, Emotional Intelligence, Somatic Embodiment.

"YourYour body often knows things long before your mind catches up. It remembers today’s experiences AND all of your past experiences. The Inner Fitness Challenge Tool #2 — Somatic awareness of Body Sensations — lets you listen to and learn to trust your body's wisdom once again. 

One of my clients said to me,“I know how to do it; I just don’t know how to do it!” For example, you know that losing weight involves eating nutritiously, exercising, and getting restorative sleep, but you just haven’t figured out how to practice those things in your own life to create real transformation. 

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Stop Holding On To Emotional Baggage! 10 Ways You Can Leave It All Behind

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Dream Big - Start Small, Emotional Intelligence.

Is it possible to stop holding on to emotional baggage? Yes! There is actually a tried-and-true process for leaving something behind resourcefully. Is it possible to stop holding on to emotional baggage? Yes! There is actually a tried-and-true process for leaving something behind resourcefully. 

Have you noticed how easy it is to hold on to negative life events? A “failed” relationship. A “stupid” decision. A judgmental comment. The list is endless. We’ve got them neatly packed away in our brains, so they can resurface and haunt us all over again. 

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Allow Yourself to Feel Your Emotions & You'll Make Emotional Barriers Disappear

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Dream Big - Start Small, Emotional Intelligence, Self-Leadership Skills, Somatic Embodiment.

When you allow yourself to feel your emotions, you’ll make emotional roadblocks disappear and feel safe and confident as the real you becomes visible.“You’re so emotional!” That’s what my client, Janine, heard throughout her early years. And you know it wasn’t said as a compliment, but rather as a reprimand. From this and other negative judgments, Janine learned that it’s not good to allow yourself to feel your emotions. Her caregivers taught her that some emotions were “unacceptable”. 

To gain approval and protect herself from being hurt, she started bottling up her feelings. Not only did she become good at hiding her emotions from others, she began to hide them from herself… to the point where she didn’t know what she liked or even who she was anymore!

Have you ever experienced anything like Janine? When you were sad were you told, “Oh, don’t be such a baby!” or when you were angry, did they say, “That’s so ugly. No one is going to like you, if you keep that up little Missy.”

We react strongly to emotions we judge as negative. Emotions like grief, sadness, anger, shame, and fear make us uncomfortable and afraid. When we see them in others, it’s unpleasant, so we try to make them go away.

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The Power of Perception and Projection Revealed & How to Use It in Your Life

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Positive Mindset.

Our power of perception is formed by our personal experiences and can mislead us, so it’s vital to learn to accurately see and assess what’s going on.Have your first impressions of a situation or person ever made you act in a way you later regret? Our power of perception can cause trouble if we misjudge. At the very least, it gets us off on the wrong foot. On the other hand, it can be a protection when our gut tells us to be wary. How do we know when to trust our power of perception and when to override it? 

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Experiencing Emotions Fully & Safely Through Journaling – Find the Style that Works for You

Written by Maria Connolly. Posted in Emotional Intelligence, Self-Leadership Skills.

Have you tried journaling? Perhaps you’ve started, then been distracted, so you feel as if you failed since you don’t have an entry for every page. Your journal is a tool for experiencing emotions whenever you NEED it.“I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ~ Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Emotions – we love them when they make us feel good. But when we’re experiencing emotions that make us feel uncomfortable we want to control our emotions, turn our emotions off, hide our emotions, manage our emotions, or numb our emotions. We can even hate ourselves for the way we feel.

It’s easy to label emotions as good or bad, but your feelings are simply messages from your body and mind informing you that you have a situation needing your attention; and you’re going to learn something from it!

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