Emotional intelligence is all about how well you understand your own emotions and the emotions of others, and the ability to identify and manage them.

Why is emotional intelligence important for problem-solving?

Emotionally intelligent people have the ability to work through a problem and find solutions where emotions might be involved, for example interpersonal problems. They are able to see things as they really are and remain objective, because emotions can cause one to be less objective and to take rash impulsive decisions. Being emotionally intelligent means also to be more self-directed and free from the emotional dependency of others.

These four steps will allow you to use emotional intelligence as a problem-solving tool:
1. Identify your Emotions: It allows you to identify what you’re feeling and determine whether what you’re feeling is something real. Let’s say you’re jealous over someone else’s success. Ask yourself if you are truly jealous, or maybe upset that you haven’t achieved what you wanted to.

2. Facilitate your Emotions: It allows you to use all the multiple emotions you may be feeling and use those mood swings to think about different points of view (which can help you solve problems). In the jealousy example, you would now be able to identify your obstacles and figure out ways around them, rather than letting jealousy get you off-track.

3. Understand your Emotions: This is the ability for you to understand that emotions aren’t as black and white as salt and pepper, but that we all experience complex chains of emotions that transition from one to the other.

4. Manage your Emotions: This doesn’t mean that you’re able to hide your crying until you get to the restroom, but rather it lets you determine whether the emotion is typical and gives you the ability to solve problems that are emotionally based, and use your rational self to manage emotions. Next time you are feeling jealous, for example, you’ll be able to harness that emotion more quickly and better manage your feelings and subsequent behaviors.

Once you establish this foundation of control over your stressors, then you are better equipped to tackle the problems more specifically.