Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and control your own emotions as well as the ability to influence others. This is especially important in relationships with family, friends, and partners. How you act in certain situations may dictate your emotional intelligence.
Take this quiz to see how well you do
It asks you questions about how you would act or feel in certain situations, and based on your answers, it tells you how good your emotional intelligence is and how you can improve it.
Think about the last time you had to walk some distance to get somewhere. What was going on in your mind during that walk? Were you pondering what events would unfold at that destination? Were you replaying and analyzing a past event in your head? Or were you truly present in the moment during that walk–experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of that experience? If you answered “yes” to either of the first two questions and “no” to the last question, a daily mindfulness exercise is an activity you may want to supplement into your life. Andy Puddicombe states that taking just 10 minutes of doing nothing–simply experiencing the world around you–can make you a much more mindful person.
Check out his TED Talk here.
Exercising with free weights, like dumbbells, activate both large muscle groups for power and small muscle groups for stabilization. Free weights also do not restrict your body movement so there is less strain on joints. Resistance machines mostly activate large muscle groups and do not coincide with your body’s natural range of motion. If you have been strictly using resistance machines, you may want to reconsider your workout.
Get started with simple dumbbell exercises here.
Ever catch yourself in an endless loop or train of thought about a single event? We have all been through this unpleasant experience. Perhaps you are considering what actions you should have taken in a past event or are worrying about how a future event will unfold. An endless train of thought can cause unnecessary stress and inhibit decision-making. These thought processes are called “overthinking” and they can affect your life in a negative way.
How can you escape these lines of thought?
There are two solutions proposed by Thorin Klosowski, author of the “How to Stop Overthinking Everything and Find Peace of Mind” article posted on Lifehacker.com. For one, you can direct your attention elsewhere to activities such as exercise, meditation, and listening to music. The best way to reduce overthinking is to do some self-reflection to figure out why you are overthinking. Discovering the reason allows you to take action and reduce the frequency of overthinking episodes.
Read more about combating overthinking in the original article.
TGIF! You’ve made it through the work week and it’s finally Friday!
In a couple of days, it’s going to be Monday again and another slow week will begin, but don’t fear! Here are some tips that may help you be more energetic and productive during the day:
- Prepare what you need for the day the night before. Best idea ever. Now, you won’t worry about forgetting anything when you leave the house.
- Wake up half an hour early. If you’re tired of rushing to do your morning routine, set your alarms a bit earlier than usual and take your time in the morning.
- BREATHE. In fact, take a deep breath and exhale all the negativity in your life. Inhale a fresh breath of air and take a moment to relax.
- Spend a little bit of time to get motivated. Whether that’s through music, a video, or a book, making yourself happy and motivated will help increase productivity throughout the day.
- Do the important things first. This one is self explanatory. Focus on what is important first, then tackle the next thing.
- Remind yourself why you’re doing the things you do. Is it for family, for your enjoyment or something else entirely?
Read more tips to having a KILLER day!
Maintaining a relationship is difficult, which is why many don’t work out in the end. In order to maintain a strong a healthy relationship, both people have to put in a lot of effort.
Some habits that may help include:
- Working on communication. There’s a reason why people say that communication is key! Talking is the best way you can communicate ideas between you and your partner.
- Respecting one another. Respect your partner just as you would like them to respect you. Respect their insecurities and listen their opinions.
- Spending quality time with each other rather than spending more low-quality time together. Yes, in this case, it’s quality over quantity. Those memories are going to be the ones that stand out in the future.
- Spending some time apart. Time and space is also very important for a relationship. Relationships are exhausting and everyone needs some alone‐time.
- Appreciating one another. Appreciate what your partner does for you, a thank you has never hurt anybody.
Read more habits!
Ever have that moment when you realize something about life that is so powerful you shudder and get the chills? These epiphanies can change the way we experience all aspects of our lives. Though an epiphany is an incredibly personal experience, we can learn almost as much about life through the epiphanies of others as we can from our own. Next time you see a close friend, ask them about any great realizations they have had recently. If you want more food for thought, check out these nine powerful epiphanies that will give you a more realistic view of the world.
Here are a few to get you started:
- You are not your mind.
- Quality of life is determined by how you deal with your moments, not which moments you do or do not have.
- Life unfolds only in moments
If you want more food for thought, check out these nine powerful epiphanies that will give you a more realistic view of the world.
Are you one of the eighty percent of Americans that has experienced or will experience lower back pain? Those who supplement anti-inflammatory medication with simple stretching and strengthening techniques have been shown to fare much better than those who do not. These stretches not only help existing back pain, but they help prevent back pain onset.
Check out these simple stretches and exercises that will help alleviate and prevent lower back pain.
Your brain is like a muscle. It can get tired when you push its capabilities but it always ends up stronger after it has recovered. This fact is truer of your memory than of any other part of the brain. It saddens me when I hear people accept the fact they have poor memory and do nothing about it. If you would like to improve your memory, you need to take action and form good habits to do so.
- Get Organized
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Play brain games
- Master a new skill
- Clenching your right fist makes it easier to memorize and clenching your left fist when trying to remember
- Learn something right before you go to bed
- Exercise more
- Drink more milk
- Eat a healthy diet
- Stay mentally active
Check out this video about ten ways to improve your memory to get started.
People seem to always come‐and‐go when it comes to our daily lives. Sometimes, our friends get busy and we feel quite lonely. Believe me, everyone feels that at some point in their lives. The question we should be asking ourselves is “How can we make more friends and how do we keep them?” To be honest, there is no right or wrong approach to this, but here are some helpful tips to get you on the right track to expanding your friend group!
- Rely on first impressions of people
- Give people the opportunity to develop into good friends
- Note that differences are just as important as similarities when it comes to friends
- Cut off friendships that aren’t worth your time and energy
- Focus on the friendships that make you happy
- Meet your friends’ friends
- Don’t let life drift you and your friends apart.
- If they’re important, let them know
Check out these 8 ways you can make some good friends!
