Thursday, October 25, 2012

Emotional Intelligence and Wellness Month


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By Diane Forrest

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 I have been having a string of bad luck lately when it comes to Home Owners Insurance.  If you have ever been canceled by an insurance company, then you will know how difficult it is to get more insurance.  If you are able to find another company, then you will more than likely be charged more than you have been paying.  I was canceled by my company three years ago.  Apparently they just want you to pay for it, not actually use the insurance.  Since I had three small claims in five years, they decided to drop me. Luckily I found another company, and was paying the same amount, so it works out.  In August I got a letter from them saying they were dropping me.  I had never made a claim, however they said my roof and electrical wiring was too old.  Seeing as how they were both recently replaced, I sent them the information and they not only reinstated my policy, but I got an even lower rate.  When I went online to pay my bill this morning, I discovered that my policy had in fact been terminated.  I wasn't too worried, since I just chalked it up to bookkeeping records.  So...I call the customer service and learned that I had in fact been canceled, because they no longer covered homes in my state.  Well as you can imagine, I lost it.  Not only was my policy gone, but that was my second insurance cancellation  and the prospects of finding new insurance was bleak.  My stress level hit the roof.
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Stress is running high for alot of people this month, the presidential elections coming up, stress from lost jobs, increases in bills, gas and food.  There is an increase in violent crimes and other catastrophes.  I was just reading about another mall shooting killing four and injured another four.  The headlines this morning stated a 10 year old girl was heading to court this morning on manslaughter charges.  All these issues increase your body's level of stress tolerance.
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This month we are looking at Emotional Intelligence and Wellness.  'Emotional intelligence' refers to the ability to identify and cope with emotions on oneself and others.   'Emotional wellness' refers to happiness and resilience as well as the absence of distressing emotional issues and the presence of healthy coping techniques.  There are several coping mechanisms to help you deal with stress.  As many of you know, laughter is the best medicine.  It is healthy to be able to laugh at the things that bother you, and if you tuned into the vice presidential debates, I think that Joe Biden uses that method as well.  Crying is another form of release of stress.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a good cry to wash your troubles away.
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According to emotional intelligence experts Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, there are a few different factors that comprise emotional intelligence.
  • The first is an ability to accurately perceive emotions, which includes both your own emotions and the emotions of other people.
  • A second factor is an ability to understand these emotions. It may be one thing to identify that someone is experiencing an emotion, but it is also important to understand the possible meanings and causes behind that feeling.
  • Third is the ability to use emotions in reasoning. Research has shown that emotions have a major impact on how we think, including how we prioritize and attend to information.
  • The final factor is the ability to regulate and effectively manage emotions. Salovey and Mayer suggest that seeking out mood-enhancing situations, people and experiences are a few methods that can be used to regulate emotions.

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In July of this year, Judi England wrote an interesting article titled “Four Room” that helps one better understand Emotional Intelligence and Wellness. This quote came from part one of the four part article.

“There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but, unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.  ” – Rumer Godden, “A House with Four Rooms”


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If you are bogged down, and disheartened about the current situations in your life, the important thing is to: 1) Recognize there is a problem, and 2) Seek help.  If laughing or crying doesn't make you feel better, try talking it out with a friend, family member, pastor, or professional.  Unless the problems are dealt with or resolved, they will build up and cause an even bigger problem.
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