Emotions are all a part of human nature, whether we are sad, happy, or excited, these are all indications of what we are experiencing and help us react in various situations.
Babies sense their emotions from time to time, while young children use facial expressions to express their emotions. They could also use actions such as cuddling, frowning or laughing. Although they can feel and express their emotions, they are unable to identify the emotion that they are feeling.
As we get older, we learn more about these emotions and instead of reacting the way we did as a child, we can put our feelings into words to express ourselves.
Time and practice will help people get better at knowing more about their feeling. Knowing what you’re feeling and why a skill known as emotional awareness.
Emotional awareness helps people build better relationships because when a person knows what they need or want, they will be better at articulating those emotions. They will be better at dealing with conflict, and also find less difficulty in letting go of certain feelings.
Few people are more in touch with their emotions, it is a skill that comes naturally to them. While others might need a bit of practice to get in touch with their emotions- it is the stepping stone when it comes to building emotional intelligence- a skill that is said to help people succeed in life.
Building Emotional Awareness
Three simple steps to help build emotional awareness:
- Tune in on how you feel in different situations. Noticing emotions will make room for the next experience. For instance, if your tween notices that they get excited about making plans with a friend, they should identify the feeling and emotion in their mind. This will prepare them for other experiences in the future.
- Rate the strength of the feeling. After identifying the emotion, try to get them to rate how strongly they feel about it, with 1 being the mildest feeling and 10 the most intense. This will help them understand how important the situation is to them.
- Share feelings loved ones. This is one of the best ways of putting emotions into words. Your tween could try to make a daily habit of talking to people closest to them. This will help them feel closer to parents, friends, or lovers.
