11 habits to reach emotional maturity

Emotional maturity is a term that is used to give a name to those people who have a Emotional intelligence high. They are people who understand their emotions and those of othersThey have good social skills and regulate their behavior to adapt it to the moment and the environment.

Emotional maturity can be reached, but it is necessary to carry out a series of habits and behaviors to achieve it.

Habits to achieve emotional maturity

Keep in mind that emotional maturity is linked to personal developmentIn other words, it develops over time through certain habits. While it is true that there are some emotional intelligence courses that can be helpful in acquiring emotional skills, many people learn these behaviors as they interact with other individuals and experiment with different situations of the life.

Emotional maturity is is closely linked to psychological well-being, since various studies affirm that emotionally intelligent people are happier and have greater success in life.

1. Pay full attention

Mindfulness is a term that has become very popular today with the rise of Mindfulness, but it has an ancient origin, as it is rooted in Buddhism and its beliefs. The truth is that mindfulness makes us emotionally intelligent people, makes us aware of our emotions and our thoughts and helps us pay attention to the context around us, to better adapt to it.

People who work on mindfulness enjoy greater emotional balance and have a non-judgmental mindsetThey also treat each other with compassion and accept life's failures.

Since mindfulness is the first step towards change, it may be helpful to practice Mindfulness with these exercises: "5 Mindfulness exercises to improve your emotional well-being”.

2. You learn from mistakes

Acceptance is one of the keys to emotional well-being and it is essential if we want to be happy. Life teaches us that things will not always turn out the way we want, but many times we can be too hard on ourselves.

Actually, if we have the proper attitude, failures can be good opportunities to grow. That is why it is necessary to put perfectionism aside, because no matter how much we think it is good for us, it hurts us. You can learn more about perfectionism in this article: "Perfectionist personality: the downsides of perfectionism”

3. Develop assertiveness

Emotional maturity is usually reflected in interpersonal relationships when communicating with other people, and although we will not always agree with the opinions of others, it is possible to accept them and say what we think without disrespecting no one.

This is what is known as being assertive, since assertiveness is a communication style in which, despite not agreeing with what another person says or thinks, we act without being rude and we are confident and secure, always respecting. Assertiveness is a key social skill.

• Related article: "Assertiveness: 5 basic habits to improve communication”

4. Know yourself

Self-knowledge is one of the principles of emotional intelligence, and therefore of maturity when managing emotions. And it is that knowing oneself and understanding the emotions that we experience is necessary to be able to regulate these emotions.

To improve emotional self-awareness it is good to have a diary of emotions. In the emotions diary, you can write down the emotions you have experienced throughout the day every night before going to bed and reflect on them.

• You may be interested: "Self-concept: what is it and how is it formed?"

5. Actively listen

Active listening is one of the essential qualities that people must possess in order to interact successfully with other individuals. And is that active listening is not the same as hearing. We often think that putting the ear when someone speaks to us is really listening, but in reality it is not like that.

Active listening is not thinking about what we want to say before a person has finished speaking, it is paying attention not only to his verbal language but also the non-verbal one, and it is know how to read beyond words. You can delve into the concept of active listening in this article: "Active listening: the key to communicating with others”

6. Emotionally validate others

Emotional validation refers to the learning, understanding and expression of acceptance of the emotional experience of another individual.

It has to do with empathy and the acceptance of the emotions of others, but also with the expression, that is, with letting them know. In other words, validation is not just accepting emotions, but this acceptance must be communicated to the other person.

To better understand this concept, you can read this article: "Emotional validation: 6 basic tips to improve it”.

7. Improve emotional control

Mastering Emotional Intelligence skills it is necessary to regulate emotions, and it is only possible when one is aware of their emotional experience. Although sometimes people can get carried away by the situation, we have the ability to reflect and make the right decisions.

Many times it takes the will to know how to regulate emotions. With the article “How to control emotions, with 11 effective strategies”You can start learning how to do it, although developing maximum competence in this type of capacity is something that requires time, effort and self-knowledge.

8. Prioritize the "we" in interpersonal relationships

Emotional maturity makes sense in relationships with other people, that is, in social relationships. Regarding the partner or in the work environment, it is appropriate to prioritize the "we" over the self.

In the case of work, for example, the union is strength, and in the case of the couple, thinking about the two helps to overcome conflicts. And it is common to lose control with the people we love, and it is not strange that we focus on our needs and put aside those of others. Emotional maturity is understanding this.

9. Take off when necessary

Attachment is not necessarily bad, as ties with loved ones help us grow and develop. However, many people become attached to objects and even their narratives about what is right or wrong.

Growing emotionally means being critical of reality, living in the present and being aware of what attachment is. To avoid emotional pain, you need to learn to detach ourselves from our beliefs, our thoughts, our memories and, ultimately, our private events.

• Related article: "5 laws of detachment to be emotionally free”

10. Leave the past behind

Detachment also includes leaving the past behind and living in the present moment, since the past we can no longer live it. As I have mentioned, frustrations can help us grow, because when we get stuck in previous times of our life we ​​do not advance.

Of course you have to take into account what happened, but only as a raw material to learn. Nothing we have done in the past serves to put a "label" on ourselves that determines how we should behave. Accepting that our actions and emotions are flexible is a necessary step to mature.

11. Stop complaining

Criticizing yourself for what you did not do well and criticizing others is paralyzing. Emotional maturity means being realistic and constantly on the go. That is why it is necessary learn from mistakes and use bad experiences to grow as people.