Emotions are one of the most potent responses that any person can have. Emotions influence our thought processes, hence affecting our overall wellbeing. Emotional maturity is the ability to effectively manage your full range of emotional responses in a manner that sustains good health.
In the quest for self-improvement having control of how your emotions influence your behavior, and physical reactions are essential to master. Life is unpredictable, and every day comes with its own set of surprises which may leave us ecstatic or distraught.
Accepting the good and the bad as part of life equips you mentally and emotionally to better handle every eventuality in a manner that seeks a lasting solution. Emotional maturity is also referred to as emotional intelligence and is a virtue that is systematically developed in an individual by turning their experiences into learning opportunities that boosts their emotional tenacity.
Steps To Building Emotional Maturity
- Self-consciousness. Developing emotional intelligence is doing a complete evaluation of yourself to map out personal triggers and how you respond to such triggers. Without exercising some level of control over your emotions, it is easy to lose yourself to situations that can be remedied tactfully by using emotional restraint. In so doing you end up aggravating a simple issue into a complicated situation. Self-consciousness entails knowing things that influence your thought processes and feelings positively or negatively. It leads to critical personal decisions like environments to avoid, friends to cut off and those to keep as well as knowing when it is best to respond to something.
- Embracing responsibility. A big part of self-development is productively applying yourself that yields results. Taking responsibility for your situation lets you get control over events in your life. Embracing responsibility means that you blame others less and focus more on dealing with the real situation. Having a sense of duty also sharpens your ability to accept failure and recovering fast as well as getting accustomed to success. Responsibility also means practicing self-care. Looking out for yourself entails developing healthy self-esteem, developing a support system, practicing mindfulness, and getting adequate rest time.
- Striving for self-reliance. Creating an independent environment for yourself saves the burden of frustration and disappointment. Relying on your efforts lets you manage your expectations realistically. You can relate your level of success to the collective efforts you invested and develop even better means for self-improvement. This way, you are more content with the control you possess over the various aspects influencing your life.
- Focusing on the present. Emotional maturity develops as a result of living in the now. You fashion your future by mastering the current situations. Staying oblivious of things happening in your life ends up in repressed feelings which at some point turn you into an emotional wreck. Stay on top of things by dealing with situations as they unfold. Living in the now means you move forward free of unnecessary emotional baggage.
- Being accountable. Emotional maturity helps you find the best outcome for every situation, but it is not a guarantee that you will not make mistakes. In the occurrence of blunders, you reflect on the situation and take full responsibility for your shortcomings by making amends. It is not only fulfilling but also prevents you from unhealthy habits such as being too hard on yourself and living with guilt, which would negatively impact your self-esteem.
Emotional maturity is a personal attribute that is continuously put to the test but the more you exercise it in different situations, the more it becomes natural for you. Being emotionally intelligent is essential for optimal health in the physical, mental, and spiritual realms.
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