Understanding Your Emotional Landscape

Emotional intelligence is defined by Psychology Today as the “ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is generally said to include three skills: emotional awareness, control of emotions and management of emotions.” Easier said than done, right?

When we are experiencing negative feelings and emotions, it is much harder to shift to neutral or to a sense of positive feelings and emotions. We’d rather languish in our anger or anxiety or other forms of stress because we’re comfortable in the chaos and because we are choosing not to stay present, to lament about what happened to us (past) or what may happen to us (future).

We are all energy. We express our physical, mental, spiritual and emotional selves through the generation or exhaustion of energy. Cultivating a practice that encourages present moment awareness – daily rituals like yoga, walking outdoors, or meditation – can help increase and sustain energy so that the stressors don’t have so much power over us. Understanding your emotional landscape is the key to balancing energy and consequently, your life.