Emotional Intelligence: the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. Each year in October, the Emotional Intelligence Institute organizes a campaign to raise awareness to the importance of emotional intelligence as the key to personal and professional success. Research has determined that emotions are the main architects of the human mind. So to have better mental health, it is imperative to understand emotions and how to manage them. Research shows that homeschooled children have higher emotional intelligence (EI) than standard schooled children and lower levels of problem behaviors. For years, the opposite was assumed. Homeschooled children were assumed to be socially awkward or not socialized and would lack opportunities to build self confidence. However, it has been proven that the opposite is true. Homeschooled children show higher signs of empathy, kindness, introspection, self confidence and social skills. Overall, they are better prepared and more capable of handling a variety of social situations and can utilize problem solving skills very well. And, if a child is struggling with emotions and the behaviors associated with them, homeschooling is often a great opportunity to focus on that. Every homeschooling household is different and unique. But, if you're interested in fostering emotional intelligence awareness as a part of your homeschooling education, here are some things you can do, according to Caitlin Fitzpatrick Hurley, author of mylittlepoppies.com: 1. Practice identifying emotions: Teach your kiddos to know what their different emotions are and what might be triggering them. To be emotionally articulate, to communicate your emotions is a skill that has to be learned, but it is the first step in management. 2. Discuss emotions and experiences: Once kids can identify their emotions it is important to encourage talking about them. Use books, movies, games to inspire discussion of emotions. Otherwise encourage them to talk about their experiences and how they felt. 3. Teach coping skills: If your child struggles with worries or anxiety or any other emotional issue, it is okay to stop and focus on that. In fact, getting a handle on it before piling on more stress is critical. Kids have to be able to manage what's on their plate before they can take on more. 4. Read books together and discuss them: Reading together is a great way to discuss emotions through other people's experiences. 5. Practice gratitude: People who practice gratitude are happier. Gratitude calms the mind. 6. Model kindness and forgiveness: The best way to teach is to model. Kindness and forgiveness are critical tools in the emotional management toolbox. 7. Serve others: Family service projects are great opportunities to teach empathy. And service to others is healing. 8. Play together: Kids learn to navigate the world through play. Play is necessary for their emotional and social development. And playing with them is an opportunity to teach and model emotional management. 9. Get outside: Being outside keeps us connected to our world. It also reduces stress and improves health. 10. Keep life simple: When in doubt, keep it simple. Parent simply, live simply and most importantly, keep their lives simple. Too much is too much. And a complicated, busy life increases stress, which will increase emotional eruptions while impairing the ability to manage them. An emotionally intelligent person will exhibit the following behaviors and skills: 1. Self and social awareness. 2. Pausing before acting. 3. Controlling thoughts. 4. Seeing the benefit of criticism. 5. Authenticity. 6. Empathy. 7. Praising others. 8. Giving helpful feedback. 9. Apologizing. 10. Forgiveness. 11. Keeping commitments. 12. Helping others. 13. Protecting self from emotional sabotage. (not letting people take advantage of you.)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2020
Categories |