The last couple weeks have been a bit intense. Many changes in my life and in the lives of those I know and love. Change, whether good or bad produces stress. It affects our emotions. When there is a lot of it we can experience overload.
A friend showed me this many years ago. It was a couple years after my mother had died and we moved into a new wonderful house and the kids changed schools and my daughter started high school and my husband got a new job and and and… Some of the things were bad but many of the things were good. I was struggling and I didn’t understand. I mean I understood the hard things. That made sense to me. But I expected the good to just be like frosting or something. This friend instructed me to make a list of things that had changed or happened both good and bad, in the last twelve months. I had a very long list. That made me able to give myself a break and stop being so hard on myself. At least some. I didn’t know then what I have come to know now.
I needed Emotional Intelligence.
It is not a new term, just new to me. If you have been reading my writing for a while you know that I talk about emotions a lot. That is because they are important. They are there, and we cannot make them not be there. So it’s in our best interest to take courage and become Emotionally Intelligent. To be Emotionally Intelligent is to be able to identify, understand and use emotions in a useful way. It’s something I am learning. I have not “arrived” but I can say I have improved.
Are YOU Emotionally Intelligent?
As I said these past couple weeks have been intense. With the plethora of incidents ranging from traumatic to normally not a big deal I felt the Emotional Input Overload and knew I needed something.
My current EI was not conquering the EIO.
I have a writing exercise I do every day in an effort to improve in my writing. Some days I don’t have a topic and just kind of babble on for the sake of the discipline. One of those days I found two things that helped.
The first was a shot of silliness. That EI and EIO reminded me of the song Old MacDonald had a farm. So I wrote a new one for me.
Turning it into a song made me laugh and laughter is good medicine. It goes like this:
Old MacDonald had some stress. EI/EIO
This stress was made of many things. EI/EIO
With a new job here and lost job there,
With a surgery here and a surgery there
With a middle of the night call here and middle of the night call there,
With a sudden hospice nurse visit here and emergency room run there
Here an injury, there a surgery, here a doctor visit, there a computer virus…
Old MacDonald had some stress EI/EIO
Admit it – singing it helps take the sting out, even if just for a minute.
Maybe you’d like to change it for your circumstances to lighten things up?
The second thing I did was intentionally take note of the swirling emotions and thoughts. I separated them into what was mine versus not mine and things I had control over versus what I didn’t. Then I took them to The Pursuer who reminded me who He was and His loving faithfulness. I sat typing out words He brought to mind that comforted my soul. But as I said, I did this in my daily writing exercise…so it was also humorous as I do not edit as I practice. I was going to “clean it up” to share but have decided it might be better to share the mess – simply copy and paste so you can be amused at my mistakes. I hope they make you laugh. (xxx = names removed for privacy)
I will trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own unse understanding. In all my ways I here acknowledge he him and he shall direct my paths. I will w lean on him trust in him e rest in him – breathe dani breathe. Gird me m with strength and make my way perfect. Make my feet like hinds feet able to stand firmly and make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouc trouble. Enlanr enlarge my steps beneath my feel feet lol – not feel – feet! I will be strong in th the Lord in and in the power of HIS mights. I will rest in the l Lord and wait on him. Those who wati on wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up like eagles they shall run and not grow weary they shall walk and not faih faint. I am planted by a river of water by my trusting in the Lord with all my heart – thank you Jesus for your grace to trust – You loved me first so I can love you back. You are the source of all my strength ability to ru trus trust and ability to rest so I will by your grace. Thank you for xxxxx’s new job. Thank you for healing xxxxx. Thank you for wisdom. Thank you xYxy xxxxxxx printed out his work yesterday because those files got corrupted and he needs to redo them thank you Jesus for all ov of your protection provition por provision and forwarm forwarning when we need it and y that you have our back our fu front and our inbetween. I will trust because you are faithful. I will be bring my EIO to you and you give me my EI. Glory to Jesus!
After this I felt profoundly better even though the circumstances were the same.
How did this make you feel?
Leave a comment or email me.
Thank you for reminding me that I’m not alone. Thank you for bringing encouragement. I’ve had a few weeks of here a this there a that everywhere a what what ei Eio I will trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding.
You are so welcome. I’m so happy to encourage!!! 💞
Thank you Danielle,I love your blog ,you encourage us so, I have removed a lot of different peace stealers from my life, learning how to say no to some things has helped tremendously , it’s okay now for me to say no without guilt and condemnation, I can say I have seen my self as an emotional basket case , some medicated brought on , some from not validating past hurts as your book ,so helped me not to feel so all alone,but the Holy Ghost gets right along side and helps us sort the emotions out mine, not mine EIEIO, I was once told at church Your just too emotional (Jab) see what you’ve taught me LOL but the Pursuer said I gave you those emotions, it’s okay! Your book has made a lasting imprint on me ! Grace, Grace, Abundant Grace ! Love and Prayers
I am so happy Glenna that I have a not only been a blessing but also helpful in a practical way for you! It means more to me than I can adequately say. Encouraging and helping others is why I dare open up and share. When I first released my book my greatest fear was that someone would actually read it. Now I have seen how it has helped people and that motivates me to share more, make myself vulnerable – which is still scary. You no doubt understand the hesitation being one who has also been accused of being too emotional. Thank you for encouraging me! Grace, love & prayers to you as well.
Also – if you wouldn’t mind, would you write a review for my book on Amazon.com? It helps other people so much. I self published so all the marketing happens through me and my happy readers. Thanks.
I am catching up on my email from my time without wifi (while I was at my Mom’s). I think I am going to find myself singing this song from time to time!
I understand. EIEIO. 😊💞