The Hyggelig Journey

Research suggests that approximately one-third of the world has an innate capacity for emotional intelligence – defined as the ability to recognise an emotion as you are experiencing it, a concept often referred to as "mindfulness." The remaining two-thirds, despite being emotional beings as well, tend to overlook what they feel and think. This happens because whatever we focus on grows, but if you ignore your perception, you weaken an essential resource. Ultimately, this affects the way people live and relate to others, reinforcing the saying: "My generation goes to therapy because yours didn’t." We have a deeply ingrained bias in how we deal with negative thoughts, instinctively clinging to negativity as it is. This often leads to the impression that life is hopeless. Without pausing to acknowledge negative thoughts, the electrical impulses in the brain associated with them are converted into neuroamines, which directly affect the limbic system – the...

Managing, controlling, and understanding your own emotions, as well as being aware of the emotions of those around you, is what enables individuals to adapt and adjust their behaviour to suit their environment and guide their thinking towards a more beneficial outcome. This outcome may relate to a difficult decision, work performance, interpersonal relationships, or even be a matter of self-care. You inevitably demonstrate how well you manage your emotions by showing your ability to relate well to others and foster cooperation. For this to happen, it is necessary to learn how best to handle emotions and use them positively. Emotional responses arise from the things we pay attention to, but more importantly, they can be mediated by conscious thought. Motivation, for example, is an emotion and, as such, fluctuates over time. Enthusiasm, on the other hand, is a cognitive state and can be actively triggered by willpower. When you feel unmotivated, it is not entirely impossib...

One of the simplest and most effective tools to guide what you intend to do is to name your emotions. This reduces the raw intensity of emotions, giving us the space to respond in a more deliberate way. The simple act of naming bridges the gap between thoughts and emotions, allowing us to be more intelligent with our feelings—something necessary if we are to use them as a resource rather than feel overwhelmed by them. The exercise is simple. Next time you experience a really strong emotion, share the obvious with yourself: I am frustrated, or angry, or sad, or overwhelmed. This is extremely effective and opens a door for us to respond in the way we truly want. However, because of the way we have been socialised to think about difficult emotions, you may find yourself avoiding acknowledging that you are angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed—something that is not entirely helpful. When we are trapped in the self-destructive mindset that some emotions are bad and that we should...