How does mindfulness promote emotional intelligence? Most people associate mindfulness with meditation and in many ways it certainly is. However, meditation goes beyond sitting in one place and clearing your head often experiencing soulful music.  As I have learned, people practice meditation in many ways throughout a their day. The moment one stops and takes a deep breath to clear one’s head you have begun a momentary meditation. Often people clear their heads by walking or running. Writing in a journal is also a form of meditation as we tap into our unconscious brain. Mindfulness and meditation seem to be interchangeable. Take a look at the two definitions below.
The two definitions of mindfulness are:
(1) the quality of state of being conscious or aware of something or
(2) a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calming acknowledging and accepting ones feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations. How can we use mindfulness/meditation to practice emotional intelligence.
Can mindfulness promote emotional intelligence?
Once our brains have experienced behaviors unlike those of emotional intelligence then we must stop and assess those behaviors. Here is where mindfulness becomes a factor in changing behaviors to resemble those emotionally intelligent. Change is difficult and harder as we grow older. Yes, of course it is possible but it takes lots more practice and “awareness” or “mindfulness”.  Unlearning behaviors is easier the younger we are. However, practicing mindfulness helps us make those changes. It asks us to stop, breathe and consider our actions. Our mind quiets and we the opportunity to understand “what” needs to be rewired. The feelings attached to our behaviors are acknowledged and letting go happens. The more we practice mindfulness or becoming present the easier it is to transform those behaviors. Take one challenge at a time for any change is transforming.
Practicing Mindfulness Enhances Our Ability To Change
We are experiencing a time in our history when mindfulness, meditation and change have taken a back seat to surviving the pandemic and all the negative political chaos. When it is somewhat resolved on both fronts, where will our focus be? My hope is that we will explore how we got to this place. Hopefully, we’ll use mindfulness to establish a more conscious awareness of the underlying conscious beliefs of our society. Teach our children mindfulness and the emotional intelligence skills that promote well-being, empathy, self-confidences, delaying gratification, managing ones emotions, accountability for our actions, support and hope and persisting in the face of frustration with compassion.
My hope requires an understanding that we got into this mess because of our old belief systems mired in what we are seeing now. What prevails is bigotry, racism, inequality, nepotism, bullying and demeaning behaviors. Consequently, fixing what we do not acknowledge or let rise to the surface is impossible. The good news is all this negativity is now visible. Therefore what do we do about it?