Being emotionally agile is important because it allows you to solve problems and resolve conflicts more easily and more skillfully than you might otherwise. Increasing your emotional agility takes time and effort, but keeping these three simple elements in mind will give you a headstart.
Context
It is easy to react quickly to a situation, but taking the time to assess the context of the situation will allow you to make more informed decisions. Make sure to gather the who, what, when, where, and why. Those will help you understand not only your personal understanding of any given situation, but they will also help you get a better idea of the way everyone else involved understands it. If you make decisions solely based on what you think without considering everyone else involved, you might end up doing more harm than good.
You & Them
You can connect all of the dots in your head without conveying that information to those around you. Because of this, it is important to be aware of the ways in which you and those around you are separate from one another. Are you feeling different emotions to someone else? Are you understanding the situation differently from someone else? If you feel like there is a divide between you and those around you, express your emotions and thoughts, so that you can get on the same page and come to an agreement together.
Empathize
Even if you disagree with someone’s actions or thoughts, it is important to try to put yourself in their shoes so you can better understand their motivations and feelings. Think of the situation with “you” statements rather than “me” or “I” statements.
Bring all of these elements together and you are just one step closer to being more emotionally agile! You might only think of these things in the context of conflict at first, but you will quickly realize that they are useful in tons of situations.