Increase your Emotional Self-Awareness and Choice
It’s often hard to put a name on what emotion you’re experiencing because it’s likely that your brain is processing more than one reaction at a time. Not only do feelings overlap and blend, but there are hundreds of emotions, each with many gradations of intensity, that make emotional awareness a difficult skill to master. Yet, the more adept you are at discerning the force that is shaping your mood and directing your actions, the greater will be your ability to manage your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
You can choose to act based on possibilities instead of reacting to the moment based on habit. The result is greater effectiveness, productivity and confidence. And, as you come to comprehend your own emotions and behavior, you increase your understanding for what drives the actions of those around you.
With this knowledge, you can improve your relationships, and above all, your happiness. Emotional intelligence is a key factor to enhancing your quality of life.
Steps for creating your own emotional inventory:
Three times a day for the next two weeks, set your watch or computer to remind you to notice:
1) what you are doing and who you are doing it with (working alone, talking with family, attending a meeting, driving, eating with a friend, watching a movie alone, etc.)?
2) the emotions you are feeling in the moment and why. Consider what is the source of the emotions. What do you think triggered the emotions you are feeling?
Download the list of emotions
Click on the link above to download a list of emotions and time table to help you identify what you are feeling. If you are sleeping during the times listed, then adjust the hours on the assessment to fit your schedule.
Once you can name the emotion you are feeling, you are free to choose what you want to feel instead. You may need a few minutes to breathe and release any strong reactions you are feeling in the moment. Once you release any tension, go back to the emotions list to choose what you want to feel instead. Do you want to feel calm, compassionate, curious, or hopeful? You have the power to choose. Breathe in the state you want to embrace.
Remember, recognition of how you are feeling without shifting at will can often diffuse or increase an emotional reaction. Practice naming your emotions and then choosing how you want to feel. You may find that over time, the intensity of some moods decrease, while other sensations, hopefully the more pleasant ones, increase. That’s why emotional intelligence helps in all aspects of your personal growth.
For more information on emotional self-awareness and making good decisions in the moment, check out how to Outsmart Your Brain!