Have you felt married to a 50-year-old teenager? You may have a co-worker who brings you back to your middle school days. Whatever case, we have dealt with an adult who seemed frozen in adolescence. Did you know it could be a case of stunted emotional growth?
While we are increasingly aware of our physical and mental health, little emphasis is placed on our emotional health. We don’t see the full-on temper tantrum of our co-workers for what it is. It’s called emotional immaturity. Here is why growing in all aspects of our lives is a good idea, even emotionally.
What is Emotional Growth?
Emotional growth, also known as emotional maturity, is being wise enough to understand your feelings and apply that understanding in your life. People with emotional maturity are good at handling difficult situations calmly and non-invasively.
They also know when to reach out for help or acknowledge that they need a break for fear of burning out. This level of self-awareness allows you to identify your emotions and those of others around you. Thus, it will enable you to enjoy better relationships and live a more fulfilling life.
Most people assume that emotional growth comes with age. But often, it doesn’t. It’s possible to go through life thinking you are more mature than you are.
Do you often find yourself beefin’ with folk at the office? Do you have family members that routinely steer clear of you or walk on eggshells because you are so volatile? When you constantly allow your emotions to run amok, the closest people in your life avoid your presence. Your most intimate relationships become diminished.
If you can personally relate to the above scenarios, don’t fret. You can grow emotionally with an honest assessment, relentless personal development, and diligence.
Why Should You Care About Your Emotional Growth?
Several studies have shown the value of emotional growth, especially in the workforce. Their findings show that the highest performers displayed high levels of emotional maturity.
So, it’s not just about being the most intelligent person in the room anymore. Emotional growth is just as crucial in both your professional and personal lives.
Here are four clever ways to boost emotional growth.
- Become More Self-Assured
To grow stronger emotionally, place an effort to increase your sense of self-esteem. Yes, you can do this. It is not the time to place blame on parents or anyone else. Now that you’ve become aware climb in the driver’s seat of your life and start the engine.
Emotionally mature people can communicate their thoughts and beliefs assertively yet respectfully. They earn respect because they are not too passive or too aggressive. Their inward confidence allows them to present ideas without being overly concerned about whether you accept their opinions. In other words, they can easily let go of the outcome.
They’re good at being direct and getting straight to the point. Still, they consider others’ opinions and respect what they offer.
Becoming more self-assured usually happens over time. You can develop this trait by focusing more on your effort than the outcome. The goal is to be more self-assured, not just look like you are.
2. Maintain a Positive Growth Mindset
You may be emotionally immature because of childhood trauma or being raised by immature parents. However, you don’t have to live your life as a victim. You may need counseling, but you can get past it. Adopting a growth mindset will allow you to focus on your effort and not your negative life experiences.
A growth mindset allows you to focus on the process of improvement. A positive mindset will enable you to enjoy the process and keeps fault-finding impatience and negativity at bay.
3. Learn to Motivate Yourself
How bad do you want it? How serious are you about changing your life? You can have your dreams or your excuses, but you can’t have both. People who work on their emotional intelligence learn to motivate themselves. They know that real success comes from the inside. They don’t wait for others to cheer them on or for circumstances to align in their favor magically. They finally figured out that Superman was not coming.
Instead, they set goals, and they work hard to attain them. They also remain steadfast in facing challenges and don’t let setbacks get them down forever.
4. Empathize with Others
Instead of being so quick to react negatively to everyone who disagrees with you, calls you out, or refuses to be your full-time cheerleader, learn the fine art of empathy. Emotionally immature people need to be the center of attention like whinny children do. They need everyone around them to soothe their dysregulation. If not, they can easily throw a fit, get an attitude, or shut down. Instead of focusing all that time and energy on yourself, get curious about the other person in the room. Could they be having a bad day? Could they be physically or mentally unwell? Maybe they are having relationship problems or have just lost a loved one. Are you missing an opportunity to help someone because you refuse to grow up?
Empathy is the ability to ability to understand and share the feelings of another. If you are not naturally empathetic, you can learn the skill. Learning how to empathize with others isn’t easy. First, it requires you to closely examine your emotions and self-worth, which can intimidate the emotionally immature. Just sayin’.
Yet, once you get past those initial psychological barriers, you’ll find it quite liberating. Empathy is also more about empowerment and emotional strength than anything else.
There’s no more incredible feeling than being able to relate to others. It’s a great way to find common ground based on mutual respect, despite any differences in opinion or beliefs you may have.
A Final Note
Emotional growth, or maturity, is awareness of your feelings and subsequent actions. It’s how you interact with others and listen to what they’re saying. You also can empathize with others and identify with them on a basic human level.
By boosting your emotional growth, you better understand how you see yourself and those around you. As a result, you can achieve more, learn to be proud of your accomplishments, and give yourself the encouragement you need to do even more excellent work!
Be well + prosper,
Elaine xx
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