This Is How Emotionally Intelligent People Vacation
You’ll be doing some people-watching and self-reflection
anyway while you kick back. Why not make it count?
Packing your beach bags? Firing up a grill?
Now’s the time for leaving work concerns at work and skipping off
someplace where you can relax, regenerate, let loose, and just have fun. The
idea of doing anything that even remotely reminds you of your
job probably doesn’t seem too appealing—and that’s fine. But even so, your
vacation doesn’t have to be dead time when it comes to self-improvement.
Before you roll your eyes and click or swipe
out, there’s good news: You can boost your skills while relaxing
and de-stressing. In other words, your vacation can be a great time to
improve your emotional intelligence—and still thoroughly remain in
vacation mode. Since that’s one of the most important job
skills on the market right now, it’s worth
taking a page or two from the most emotionally intelligent vacationers’ play
books.
1. THEY USE THE TIME TO
SELF-REFLECT
On vacation, we tend to unwind and let
our minds wander away from the pressures of daily life—or at least that’s what
we hope for while booking trips to foreign climes. The key is actually make
that happen. Since self-awareness is the basis of emotional intelligence, it’s
worth planning a vacation that gives you a chance to notice things about
yourself that you might not in an ordinary workweek.
People with high emotional intelligence
understand how important this can be. As the pace of things slackens, ask
yourself:
- What
kind of people irritate me?
- What
kind of people am I drawn to?
- Who
do these people remind me of?
Being in a laid back, relaxed state is an
excellent time to do some self-reflection. So sure, have a cocktail or dive
into a book, but carve out some time just to be alone with your thoughts.
2. THEY LOOK FOR WAYS TO
EMPATHIZE (FOR ITS OWN SAKE)
Holidays are a great time to people-watch.
When you’re in a laid-back mood, you’re more receptive to other people. So
why not make a game out of noticing things about people? Involve your
friends or family, too, and trade observations about each other as well as the
strangers who surround you.
Most people do this in their own heads
anyway when they’re traveling overseas or someplace unfamiliar. Notice
people and their facial expressions, their posture, dress, and manner of
walking—these are all great ways to gather clues about what’s going on
with them. In fact, you can assume this mind-set even when you’re going to
a movie, out to eat, or to a live performance.
Emotionally intelligent people take advantage
of opportunities to empathize, and vacationing presents more of those chances
than a typical day in the office does.
3. THEY PRACTICE POLITE ASSERTIVENESS
Many people struggle with asking for what
they want. That’s why so many work culture are tense with passive aggression
and rife with politics. Emotionally intelligent people realize that the worst
that can happen is getting a no, in which case they’re no worse off than before
asking for something they want.
You might think of the boardroom as the real
place to be more assertive, but vacation is actually just as good a time to
stretch your “asking muscles.” When you check into your accommodation, try
asking for an upgrade. If there’s a problem with your meal, tell the
server. Just be polite. Because you often won’t see the people
you’re dealing with again, it may be easier to ask for what you want.
It’s great practice for moving out of your
comfort zone and might make it easier to do it next time. People are more
willing to accommodate simple requests than you might think—or at least
entertain them. And when it goes your way, you’ll get a nice boost
of satisfaction and self-esteem.
4. THEY RECONSIDER
THEIR GOALS
Vacations are a great time to revisit
past goals or even set new ones. When you’re away from your
everyday routine, you’re better positioned to take a look at where you are
in life and contemplate where you’d like to be. Those who get high scores
for emotional intelligence are usually pretty good at getting away from
their daily habits now and then in order to refocus and take an inventory of
their lives.
You should do the same. The stimulation
and new experiences that come with vacations can give you a chance
to turn some new thoughts over in your mind. You might not come back
home with a new strategy already hammered out, but you’ll have started the
wheels turning on some fresh ideas and aspirations.
Personally, I tend to be more creative
and insightful when vacationing in the mountains or by the ocean. If you know
there are certain environments that make you more reflective, that let steer
your plans. If you’ll have to go back to a job or career that isn’t
satisfying once your vacation is over, this could give you the chance to take
some first mental steps toward changing course
5. THEY IMPROVE
THEIR RESILIENCE HABITS
While you might like to tell yourself that
next month you’ll finally start meditating daily or picking up a journaling routine,
life often gets in the way. Emotionally intelligent people aren’t immune to
this, but they’re good at using vacation time to retool those resilience
strategies.
Vacations give us a chance to return to
what we know we should be doing for ourselves but don’t often
make time for. They can also be the time to try new things and
stretch yourself. You might come across rewarding or relaxing
activities you hadn’t considered and find ways to work them into your daily
life after coming back home.
What you do on vacation might not change your
life or career, but it’s possible to arrive back home just a little more
emotionally intelligent than when you left—without feeling like that took any
work at all.
BY HARVEY DEUTSCHENDORF
https://www.fastcompany.com/40433382/this-is-how-emotionally-intelligent-people-vacation?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fcweekly-top&position=4&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=07072017
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