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“In the depths of our hearts where words often falter, the purest of emotions reside” 

Emotions are an intrinsic part of human experience influencing our thoughts, behaviors, interactions and relationships. Humans experience a myriad of emotions and as the quote says there is an ocean of emotions swirling quietly within, waiting to be acknowledged! We all know that every emotion cannot be expressed as you either do not have the right choice of words to articulate or you do not have the right person to understand your emotion.  

What are emotions? 

By definition, emotions are conscious mental reactions subjectively experienced as strong feelings usually directed towards a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioural changes in the body – APA.  

Let us understand it in simple language. Every moment in your life, you experience a situation with yourself, the objects around you and people around you. Emotions are the reactions you give to these objects and people around you. For instance, you may find a monument “beautiful” while your friend may find it “intriguing”!! The same monument has aroused different emotions in each one of you and your responses to them are also different. In essence, emotions are your conscious mental reactions experienced as feelings.  

Why understand emotions? 

As emotions are your reactions to every experience in your life, it is essential to understand them in order to make your life experiences more meaningful. Your experiences fall under three categories – with self, with surroundings and with others. In all three kinds of experiences, the vital functions emotions serve are – 

• Self-awareness and Development – Identifying and understanding our own emotions is pivotal as this will give insight into our values, desires and needs. 

• Social Connections – Emotions play a key role in building healthy or toxic relationships based on your interactions with a person. These interactions depend on how you feel in someone’s presence, whether you are able to convey your emotions and allow the other person to empathize with you, and whether you are able to understand and empathize with the other person. 

• Decision Making – Emotions provide critical information that aids in decision-making. For instance, you may prefer to have cool drink or a hot beverage depending on your feelings. 

Emotional Intelligence(EI) 

This is a buzzword now! Are you familiar only with the term or do you know what it actually means? Let us take a look – 

Daniel Goleman defined the term Emotional Intelligence as a person’s ability to manage their feelings so that those feelings are expressed appropriately and effectively. It is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage and handle emotions. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence is the single largest predictor of success in the workplace.  

Well, if this is the case, then we have to learn to understand and manage our emotions effectively. To begin with, let us deconstruct emotions to understand it better. 

Components of Emotions 

• Subjective Experience – Emotions are very subjective and personal. No two people experience the same emotions in a particular situation. The same person experiences different emotions about a situation in two different instances – while in the situation and while reflecting about the situation. 

• Physiological Response – Emotions trigger physical reactions in our bodies. For example, fear can increase heart rate, elevate blood pressure or induce heavy breathing. 

• Behavioral Response – Emotions often lead to specific behaviors. For example, happiness may result in laughter and social engagement whereas anger may manifest in confrontational actions. 

Techniques to understand your emotions - Practice Mindfulness 

• In any situation, be mindful about how you are feeling. Many times, people tend to go through tasks mechanically without being present in the situation. Become aware and be mindful of what you are experiencing.  

• Identify the emotions precisely. 

• Observe the physical reactions in your body during this experience of an emotion. 

• Become aware of your behavior in that emotional state. 

• Notice the influence of this behavior on others. 

• Reflect on all the above steps at the end of the day and journal them. 

• Analyze if this was a positive or negative experience. 

• Strategize to manage this emotion better next time!  

Looks like a strategy? Implement it with devotion to see your life becoming more meaningful! 

You may be able to implement it completely or partially. Start wherever you are, stay committed and see if you progress. If you face challenges, you can always reach out to me on balavikasa4u@gmail.com to find alternative strategy. 

Book a free session at https://linktr.ee/balavikasa   

“In the labyrinth of our hearts, our deepest feelings are the guiding stars that lead us through the darkest nights. They are the quiet whispers of our soul, urging us to listen, to feel, and to embrace the richness of our emotional landscape, knowing that it is through this embrace that we find our true selves” - A pin by Readings With Hope. 

About the Author

Dr. Nagamani Krishnamurthy is an educator who started her journey as a chemistry teacher 34 years ago. Since then, she moved on to become a teacher, trainer, coach, researcher and early childhood educator but at every stage, she retained the underpinning principle of education as a process of nurturing children's EQ and empowering them to be equipped with skills to deal with challenges at every stage of life. She has designed a unique early years curriculum strategy Balavikasa's L.E.A.D. which weaves human values and 21st century skills into child development. 

Her passion for creating bespoke teaching strategies has inspired her to design many courses for children at different stages catering to their individual needs and learning syles. She is the founder of Balavikasa Educational Academy where she conducts training programs for children, young people, parents and teachers. She strongly believes that every child has the potential to excel and every teacher has the power to bring out this excellence in every child. 

Currently, she is visiting India to support early years reform at the national level and is on the panel of experts at NIPCCD, NCERT and Govt of India. 

Meanwhile, get to know more about me, visit https://linktr.ee/balavikasa  

Reach out to me on balavikasa4u@gmail.com