3 Emotional Awareness Exercises For Enlightened Wellbeing
Before we get into the benefits of planning a few emotional awareness exercises into your wellness routine, let me tell you: I get it. With all of the must-try wellness routines buzzing around the internet, what makes this one worth trying? Is it really worth the effort? As a clinical psychologist, my answer is absolutely yes.
Emotional awareness exercises are absolutely essential to your self-care toolkit because :
You already know the basics (!)
Anyone and everyone can benefit from them immediately
They’re as easy and important as checking the weather
Let me explain the last point.
Consider what you do before a day out with friends:
You're trying to decide what to wear. Do you need to pack a hat and shades, or are you better off bringing an umbrella? Decisions, decisions!
To make the most of your outing, you naturally check the weather report. Whether the forecast is sunny with a chance of showers, cold and windy, or dry and warm, knowing what to expect will help you prepare for whatever may come your way.
Keeping tabs on your emotional state has similar benefits to checking the weather report. When you check in with yourself on a regular basis, you can assess your emotional state and predict how it'll change based on what's going on in your day. Doing this allows you to gain insight into your emotions and learn to manage them more effectively. For example, if you know you tend to get angry when you're hungry, you can make sure to have a snack handy to avoid a blowup.
In this post, we'll dive into emotional awareness and review practical emotional intelligence exercises that will boost your emotional intelligence. We'll also explain the science behind self-awareness and how it can benefit your mental and emotional well-being.
By the end of this post, you'll have a toolbox of self-awareness exercises that you can use to improve your relationship skills, manage stress, support emotional regulation, and enhance your overall well-being.
What is Emotional Awareness?
In simple terms, emotional awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, as well as those of others. It involves being mindful of how you feel in the present moment and how strong emotions may influence your thoughts, certain behaviors, and interpersonal relationships.
Origins of Emotional Awareness Practice
Although the term emotional awareness sounds distinctly New Age and self-helpy, the heart of this practice is nothing new. Contemplative traditions such as mindfulness meditation have been practiced for thousands of years and are today considered an essential part of self-improvement.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, emphasizes the importance of emotional awareness in his work. He defines emotional awareness as "the ability to recognize and attend to the feelings and sensations that arise in response to the world around us." ¹
Kabat-Zinn teaches that emotional awareness is essential to the practice of mindfulness meditation, which involves paying attention non-judgmentally to the present moment.
But there are even more benefits to emotional awareness. Clinical psychologists like myself rely on teaching this method to help clients make sense of their experiences. Overall, emotional awareness is a crucial component of emotional intelligence. Working with a clinical psychologist who understands its importance can help you in building emotional intelligence, too.
Emotional Intelligence in Clinical Psychology
Clinical psychologists use various techniques to help you develop emotional awareness and improve emotional intelligence skills. These may include emotional intelligence assessment, self-management strategies, and different emotional intelligence tools and exercises.
Working with a clinical psychologist can help you develop greater self-awareness and improve your own emotional intelligence skills, allowing you to become more adept at recognizing, better understanding, and managing your own emotions.
Emotional Awareness vs. Emotional Intelligence
Human emotions affect almost every aspect of our existence. They are an integral part of who we are. They are not just limited to moments of happiness or sadness but can encompass a wide range of experiences.
Emotions are the lens through which you perceive the world and are crucial to your decision-making process. They can be intense and overwhelming, and sometimes you can feel your feelings are out of control.
However, they are an essential part of our experience as human beings, and it is crucial to understand and acknowledge them. Emotional intelligence and emotional awareness are two concepts that have been used over the years to do so.
In 1995, Daniel Goleman published "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ," introducing the concept of emotional intelligence. Goleman's book popularized the idea that emotional intelligence is just as important as intellectual intelligence for success in life, both personally and professionally.
Throughout the years, the term "emotional intelligence" has gained recognition. It has been applied in various fields like education, business, and psychology. Although emotional intelligence is often used interchangeably with emotional awareness, they are two distinct concepts that play different roles in your life.
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the feelings of others. It involves self-awareness, self-regulation strategies, empathy skills, and social awareness.
The Five Levels of Emotional Awareness
If you've ever struggled to identify or express your emotions, you're not alone. It's a good thing experts have developed a framework for navigating emotional experiences.
This framework comprises five levels of emotional awareness, each building upon the previous one to provide a better understanding of your emotional world. The levels are:
Awareness of Physical Sensations: Becoming aware of the physical sensations accompanying your emotions. For example, when you feel anxious, you may notice your heart rate increase or your palms sweat.
Action Tendencies: Becoming aware of the action tendencies associated with your emotions. For instance, anger may make you want to lash out or yell.
Single Emotions: Becoming aware of single emotions such as happiness, sadness, or anger.
Blends of Emotions: Noticing if you're feeling multiple emotions simultaneously.
Blends of Blends of Emotional Experience: This level refers to noticing the most complex emotional experiences, such as when you experience a mixture of feelings over an extended period of time.
Essential Skills for Developing Emotional Awareness
Developing emotional intelligence requires conscious effort and dedication. You can work on the following fundamental skills related to becoming more emotionally aware:
Mindfulness
Mindfulness involves practicing being fully present at the moment and observing your thoughts and feelings as they arise without judgment. Regular mindfulness practice can increase your awareness of emotional experiences and help you recognize patterns in your thoughts and feelings
Practicing this skill consists of taking the time to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By exploring your own emotional experiences and the reasons behind them, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your emotional responses to stressful situations.
Active Listening
Active listening involves being fully present and engaged when listening to others and identifying and understanding their feelings.
By practicing active listening, you can develop a greater sense of understanding of the emotional experiences of those around you, which can help you, for instance, to accept criticism.
Empathy
What does empathy skills have to do with emotional intelligence? While it seem strange to focus on others when the goal is to develop oneself, practicing empathy is perfectly aligned with the goal relating to the world above the rather volatile level of individual feelings and thoughts.
Empathy requires deeply understanding the emotions of others and responding in a supportive and compassionate manner. By practicing empathy, you can develop stronger relationships with others, more effective communication, and create a more positive team atmosphere.
Self-Compassion
Self-compassion is an important skill related to self-awareness that involves being kind and understanding toward oneself, particularly during times of emotional distress.
It can be easy to fall into self-criticism or self-blame when experiencing negative or strong feelings. Still, self-compassion helps to counteract these harmful thought patterns.
3 Essential Emotional Awareness Exercises & How to Practice Them
Emotional awareness exercises will help you better understand your emotions, improve your ability to regulate them, and ultimately enhance your overall wellbeing. Whether you are new to emotional awareness or have been practicing for some time, they will provide practical tools to cultivate emotional intelligence and resilience.
As a mental health professional, I highly recommend using these techniques to boost your emotional awareness. I have used them in my clinical practice with patients and have seen significant improvements in their ability to recognize and regulate their emotions.
Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine will definitely help you live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. So let's get started!
1. Mindful Breathing
Skills: Mindfulness, Self-Reflection, Self-Compassion.
Time: 5 minutes
Mindful breathing is a simple yet effective practice that involves focusing one's attention on the sensation of breathing. Research has shown that practicing it can help improve emotional intelligence by increasing your ability to stay present and observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment or reaction.
In particular, a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that participants who practiced mindful breathing significantly improved emotion regulation and decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression. ²
How to Breathe Mindfully
It can be done in various and creative ways, but a common technique involves sitting comfortably with your eyes closed and bringing your attention to the physical sensations of your breath as it enters and leaves your body. The following steps will guide you through it.
Find a quiet place to sit comfortably.
Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
Take slow, deep breaths, feeling the air fill your lungs and belly.
Notice how your body feels as you inhale and exhale.
When your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath.
Continue for 5-10 minutes.
2. Journaling
Skills: Self-reflection, self-compassion, empathy
Time: 10-15 minutes
Journaling is a powerful tool for boosting emotional awareness, self-reflection and emotional regulation. Writing about your thoughts and emotions can help you identify patterns in your thinking and emotional responses, and allow you to process difficult emotions.
Research shows that journaling can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and increase positive mood and well-being. A narrative review of writing therapy (WT) published in 2022 found that expressive writing (a form of journaling) helped participants with chronic illness improve their mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. ³
How to Make Journaling a Practice
Journaling is a personal practice. You don't have to show your writing to anyone, and you can write about whatever feels most meaningful and relevant to you. It's a way to connect with your inner self and gain insight into your emotions.
Here's a guide on how to practice journaling:
Start by setting an intention for your journaling practice. What do you hope to gain from this exercise? What emotions or thoughts do you want to explore?
Begin writing freely about your thoughts, feelings and experiences. Try not to censor yourself or worry about grammar or spelling. Write as if you were talking to a trusted friend.
Reflect on your writing. What patterns or themes do you notice? How do you feel after writing? Is there anything you want to explore further?
Practice self-compassion. Be kind and gentle with yourself throughout the process. Avoid self-judgment or criticism.
3. Labelling Emotions
Skills: Self-compassion, self-reflection, mindfulness
Time: 10-20 minutes
By identifying and labeling your emotions, you can develop a deeper understanding of how you feel and why you feel that way, which can help you manage emotions more effectively. Studies have shown that emotion labeling can help reduce the intensity of negative emotions.
For example, a study published in the journal Emotion found that participants who labeled their emotions experienced less emotional reactivity and more positive emotions compared to those who did not label their emotions. ⁴
How to Label Your Emotions
Labelling emotions involves finding a quiet and comfortable place to sit and reflect, taking deep breaths, and asking yourself what you are feeling in the moment. By identifying and reflecting on your emotions, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your emotional experiences. The steps below will walk you through the exercise.
Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit and reflect.
Take a few deep breaths and focus on your body and mind.
Ask yourself, "What am I feeling right now?" and try to identify the emotion you are experiencing. You can use words like sad, anxious, angry, frustrated, happy, or content.
Once you have identified your emotion, take a moment to reflect on why you are feeling that way. What triggered the emotion? How does it feel in your body?
Write down your emotion and your reflections in a journal or on a piece of paper.
If you have time, try to reflect on what actions you can take to manage this emotion in a healthy way.
The goal of labelling emotions is not to judge or criticize your emotions but to become more aware and accepting of them. With practice, you can develop a deeper understanding of your emotions and learn to manage them in a healthy and productive way.
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Ruini, Chiara, and Cristina C Mortara. “Writing Technique across Psychotherapies—From Traditional Expressive Writing to New Positive Psychology Interventions: A Narrative Review.” Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy 52, no. 1 (September 14, 2021): 23–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-021-09520-9.
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