When it comes to happiness and success in life, EQ matters just as much as IQ. Difficult feelings, especially for children, can lead to destructive emotions, such as shame, as well as negative thoughts about themselves. Of course, heightened emotions, such as anger or fear are very normal. However, when they have the ability to control our mental state and negatively impact our lives, this is not okay. 

Children need to be given the guidance to understand their wide range of emotions in a safe space so they can develop the skills and capacity required to manage them accordingly. However, while the world has been focused on academic achievement in childhood, developing emotional skills has been largely ignored. Children are educated in so many subjects areas, from sounding out words to brushing their teeth, yet we fail to equip them with an emotional education that can dramatically improve the quality of their lives. Just like counting or reading, the ability to be self-aware, recognise, communicate, and manage our feelings in a healthy way, are skills that must be taught – they don’t necessarily materialise as we age.