#emotional-awareness

#emotional-awareness

The first thing the interviewer asked me was, "Why the name Running on Empty? Where did that come from?" To be honest, I was somewhat unprepared for this question, and I stumbled a bit. The only answer I could think of at first was: "Because that's what childhood emotional neglect makes you feel." It made such intuitive sense to me that I had never even thought about how to explain it.

Shame is an inhibitory emotion on the Change Triangle, the tool that teaches us about emotions. Shame is an emotion designed to keep us from acting in ways that get us banished from the people and groups we need, like our family, peer groups, religious groups, and communities. But when we grew up in environments that harshly punished us for our mistakes, shame tells us to keep our mistakes hidden, lest we "pay the price." That's how shame blocks accountability.

Emotions can build up, increasing in strength slowly, or they can crash down on us all at once, making it easy to get lost in them.

Children who practice metacognition learn to analyze tasks and estimate their own effectiveness.

When we perform in a way that is inauthentic, we communicate information to others that does not accurately reflect how we actually feel. For example, we may say "work is good" and "I had a wonderful weekend with my family" when we actually mean "work is overwhelming" and "I felt really sad this weekend."

Simply ask yourself: what is it like to be you right now? Tune into your emotions, body feelings, and the state of your mind.

Interoception, often called the 'hidden sense,' allows the brain to receive and interpret internal body signals, crucial for emotional self-awareness.

"The thing that really gets in the way of learning and growing ... is our shame. Shame freezes us and ... freeze is an anti-learning defense state that keeps us where we are."

Paint their way forward with broad strokes; be the instigator and the one offering hope and enthusiasm, and you'll find your circle and the path that leads to victory and a better future.

"When people believe emotions are useful, they can regulate their emotions better and have better outcomes. Learning to appreciate boredom can make it feel less painful."

Anger can act as a signal that our needs are unmet, serving as a motivator for constructive change when understood as part of our core values.