[eBook Code] Improving Your Emotional Intelligence In a Day For Dummies (eBook Code, 1st)

Introduction 1

What You Can Do In A Day 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Chapter 1: Assessing Your Emotional Intelligence 3

Feeling, Thinking, and Behaving Like an Emotionally Intelligent Person 3

Feeling like an emotionally intelligent person 4

Thinking like an emotionally intelligent person 5

Behaving like an emotionally intelligent person 7

Recognizing an Emotionally Unintelligent Person 8

Chapter 2: Measuring Emotional Intelligence 11

Gauging Emotional Intelligence 11

Making the Case for Emotional Intelligence 14

Understanding How EQ Tests Work 15

The EQ-i 15

The EQ-360 18

The MSCEIT 20

Chapter 3: Managing Your Emotions 23

Okay, I Feel Sad, Mad, or Bad — Now What? 23

Using cognitive restructuring to improve your mood 24

Using methods of distraction to help you feel better 28

Relaxation, meditation, and similar activities for emotional success 29

Progressive relaxation 29

Diaphragmatic or belly breathing 30

Acupressure 31

Purposeful distraction 32

Becoming more mindful 33

Working Your Way Out of a Bad Situation 34

Short-term approaches 34

Long-term solutions 36

Changing Your Emotions for the Better 37

Recognizing the importance of practice 38

Developing a positive psychology 38

Chapter 4: Managing Other People’s Emotions 41

Changing How You React to Others 42

Being aware of your gut reaction 42

Working through alternative responses 44

Managing the Emotions of Others 45

Identifying where other people are coming from 46

Establishing a realistic alternative behavior 47

Getting a person to want to change 49

Encountering Obnoxious People 50

Chapter 5: Using Empathy to Improve Your

Emotional Intelligence 53

Knowing the Difference between Empathy and Sympathy 54

Beginning with you, not I 54

Knowing why the difference is important 54

Reading Other People’s Emotions 56

Exploring Situations in Which Empathy Can Really Help You 58

Strengthening intimate relationships 59

Understanding friends and relatives 60

Dealing with tense situations that involve strangers 61

Chapter 6: Where to Go from Here 65

Taking Your First Steps 65

Visiting dummies.com 66