9 Ways to Improve Your Emotional Self-Awareness EQ Subscale
Emotional self-awareness in the EQ-i framework refers to your ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, including how they influence your thoughts, actions, and behaviors. By developing emotional self-awareness, you can gain deeper insights into your talents, skills, and passions, which can lead to more intentional and effective use of them. Here are 9 practical activities that can help you improve emotional self-awareness, alongside useful websites, highly recommended books, podcasts, YouTube videos, TED Talks, and free tools to support your growth in this area.
1. Keep an Emotional Journal
- Activity: Regularly journal your emotions, thoughts, and experiences to identify patterns, triggers, and areas of emotional strength. Write about how certain activities or tasks align with your talents and passions.
- Tools:
- Day One Journal – A journaling app to track your emotions.
- Here’s an Emotion Wheel
- Recommended Book:
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (Emphasizes journaling to unlock self-awareness and creativity)
- Recommended Podcast:
- The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos (Episode: “You Can Be Emotionally Intelligent”) – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
- How to Make Stress Your Friend – Kelly McGonigal
2. Practice Mindfulness Meditation
- Activity: Engage in mindfulness meditation to increase your awareness of your present emotions and thoughts. This practice helps you connect with your internal emotional landscape, which is key to understanding your talents and passions.
- Tools:
- Insight Timer – Free meditation app with guided practices for emotional awareness.
- Recommended Book:
- The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
- Recommended Podcast:
- Mindfulness Meditation Podcast by The Rubin Museum – Spotify Link
- Recommended YouTube Video:
3. Track Your Emotional Triggers
- Activity: Identify and record emotional triggers throughout your day. This helps you understand which situations positively or negatively influence your emotional state and how those emotions relate to your talents and passions.
- Tools:
- Mood Meter – App to track your emotions and discover patterns.
- Recommended Book:
- Emotional Agility by Susan David (Learn to navigate emotions to use them as a strength)
- Recommended Podcast:
- Unlocking Us with Brené Brown (Episode: “Susan David on Emotional Agility”) – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
- The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage – Susan David
4. Engage in Reflective Practice After Important Events
- Activity: After important work or personal events, reflect on your emotional responses and how your talents, skills, and passions played a role. Write down what worked, what didn’t, and what emotions were present.
- Recommended Book:
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (Focuses on emotional awareness and presence)
- Gibbs Reflective Cycle – Download Worksheet
5. Take Personality and Emotional Intelligence Tests
- Activity: Take personality and emotional intelligence tests to better understand your emotional tendencies and how they affect your talents, skills, and passions. These tests provide insights into areas of growth and strength.
- Tools:
- 16Personalities – Free personality test that explores emotional traits.
- EQ-i 2.0 Assessment – Emotional intelligence assessment (paid).
- Recommended Book:
- Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
- Recommended Podcast:
- The EQ-i Podcast (Episodes on developing emotional self-awareness) – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
6. Seek Feedback on Emotional Responses
- Activity: Ask colleagues, friends, or a mentor for feedback on how they perceive your emotional responses in different situations. Use this feedback to adjust and understand how your emotional awareness impacts your talents and interactions.
- Tools:
- Google Forms – To create a feedback form for gathering input.
- Recommended Book:
- Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
- Recommended Podcast:
- The Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast (Episode: “The Power of Feedback”) – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
- Why You Should Ask for Feedback – Sheila Heen
7. Practice Labeling Your Emotions
- Activity: Throughout the day, practice identifying and labeling your emotions. This simple exercise can help you become more attuned to how you feel and why you feel that way, providing insight into how your emotions impact your work and personal life.
- Tools:
- Emotional Wheel – Use this tool to name and categorize emotions.
- Recommended Book:
- Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett (A guide to emotional intelligence and emotional literacy)
- Recommended Podcast:
- Permission to Feel with Dr. Marc Brackett – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
8. Identify the Impact of Emotions on Decision-Making
- Activity: Reflect on recent decisions you’ve made and consider how your emotions influenced them. This will help you understand how emotions play a role in the use of your talents and passions.
- Tools:
- Trello – Use Trello to track decision-making processes and related emotions.
- Recommended Book:
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (On the influence of emotions on decision-making)
- Recommended Podcast:
- Freakonomics Radio (Episodes on how emotions influence decisions) – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
9. Establish Emotional Boundaries
- Activity: Work on setting emotional boundaries to protect your emotional well-being. This practice can help you stay grounded and focused on your talents and passions while minimizing the negative influence of external pressures.
- Tools:
- Headspace – Mindfulness and meditation app to practice emotional regulation.
- Recommended Book:
- Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend
- Recommended Podcast:
- The Brené Brown Podcast (Episode: “Boundaries and Emotional Resilience”) – Spotify Link
- Recommended TED Talk:
- The Power of Vulnerability – Brené Brown