Optimism and Emotional Intelligence in Practice
By Abeer Almuhanna
Today’s session was on a topic few know about, but many can benefit from; emotional intelligence. The speaker, Anabel Jensen, took us through her journey on discovering EI and how powerful it can be.
Anabel first discussed the TIE (Temporary, Isolated, Effort) technique that explains that adversity is temporary and isolated and that each of us has the ability to do something about it. This technique tells us that optimism sustains everything and it can change you and help you accomplish anything with effort.
Anabel went on to explain how we can use The Six Seconds EQ Model to turn emotional intelligence theory into practice for your personal and professional life.
This model of EQ-in-Action begins with three important pursuits :
1 — Know yourself
- Enhance emotional literacy.
- Recognize patterns.
2 — Choose yourself
- Apply consequential thinking.
- Navigate emotions.
- Engage intrinsic motivation.
- Exercise optimism.
3 — Give yourself
- Increase empathy.
- Pursue noble goals.
These three actions were explained through the painting of a sick girl who was stuck on the ground.This girl felt like she had been taking on so much pressure that it led to depression and stress. However, through the painting, though the tree was torn at the trunk, there were flowers growing and coming up through the ground. The painting symbolized life always finding a way to help you grow and see the beauty, even at our lowest times.
One activity we did to understand EI and how it plays into our lives was through value sort cards. We used these cards to decide which of the three we were holding was the most important to us and which was the least. This was englightening to understand how we perceive the things around us and to find meaning in the cards we each individually hold. At the end of this exercise we were handed wires and graphic organizer paper that represented optimism to contemplate how to overcome obstacles and adversity in your life.
To conclude, Anabel made us place a Biodot on the back of our hands to give biological feedback about what’s going on inside our body, Biodots keep changing color as your skin temperature — stress changes.
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