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WA2. Learning Journal 2

Statement

  • Understanding and acknowledging emotions, along with those of others, are crucial for both personal and professional advancement.
  • In this assignment, you will investigate the significance of cultivating emotional intelligence through introspection and self-assessment.
  • Your exploration will encompass a range of methods and activities tailored to augment self-awareness and recognize individual strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Through assessing the impact of self-awareness on personal growth and emotional intelligence, our goal is to empower ourselves with the tools essential for navigating social interactions and attaining success in academic and professional spheres.

Based on the readings of this unit and your own understanding, answer the questions below:

  1. Reflect on past experiences and interactions where you have exhibited emotional responses. Consider and describe how you handled these emotions and whether you accurately recognized and labeled them.
  2. Engage in a self-reflection exercise of your day (such as journaling, meditation, or introspective questioning) for at least 3 days. Share your experience from this self-reflection.
  3. Based on your self-reflection, identify specific techniques and exercises that can help enhance your self-awareness.(Consider techniques such as mindfulness meditation, deep breathing exercises, or cognitive behavioral therapy exercises).
  4. Reflect on the role of self-awareness in personal development and emotional intelligence. How can accurately recognizing and labeling emotions impact your interactions with others and your overall well-being?

Answer

Introduction

Self-awareness is a fundamental aspect of emotional intelligence that involves recognizing and understanding one’s emotions and their impact on oneself and others. Developing self-awareness is essential for personal and professional growth, as it enables individuals to navigate social interactions effectively, make informed decisions, and achieve success in various areas of life (London, Sessa, & Shelley, 2023).

This text explores the significance of self-awareness by reflecting on past experiences involving emotional responses, engaging in self-reflection exercises using journalling, comparing techniques to enhance self-awareness while choosing the best for the author, and discussing the role of self-awareness in personal development and emotional intelligence.

1- Reflection on Past Emotional Responses

Emotions play a crucial role in our daily live, they can affect our behavior, abilities, desires, and relationships. Emotions are complex chemical and physical reactions that occur in our bodies spontaneously, and can be triggered by external stimuli. Although emotions are not fully controlled by our conscious mind, there are techniques that can be learned of how to manage those emotions and hence, control our reactions to them (Sutton, 2020).

Emotions can be categorized into positive and negative. Positive emotions may include joy, happiness, love, trust, acceptance, wonder, and amazement. Negative emotions may include anger, fear, sadness, irritability, anxiety, and disgust. Memories are usually loaded into our minds with their associated emotions, hence, remembering a horrific accident triggers the fear and anxiety that was felt during the accident, although with a lesser intensity (Sutton, 2020).

The first example happened when I was studying for an exam, and I lost all my desire or ability to study; I was literally unable to look into the book. I assessed the situation for a while and identified the emotion as boredom and I managed the situation by deciding to take a video games break for 2 hours and then return to studying. I played for 2 hours and then returned to studying, but the original issue persists. I assessed the situation later and found that I mistakenly labeled the emotion as boredom, while it was actually irritation. I was tired from studying and the coffee and energy drinks I consumed masked the tiredness. The emotion was labeled wrongly, and hence, the solution was not effective. Had I correctly labeled the emotion as irritation, I would have taken a nap and then returned to studying.

2- Self-Reflection Exercise

Journalling or reflective journalling is a powerful tool that involves writing down experiences on a regular basis (usually daily), and then reflecting on those experiences on a different schedule (weekly or monthly). Reflective journalling helps individuals to gain insights into their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and identify patterns that may be affecting their well-being. Journal entries include a documentation of events, interpreting them, and concluding with a lesson learned or a plan for future actions (Journey, n.d.).

Saturday, 08 February 2025: My study was good today, I wake up around 4:00 AM and studied for 5 hours before my baby wakes up. The calmness in the house helped me focus. I learned that studying early in the morning is more effective for me than studying late at night.

Sunday, 09 February 2025: My baby boy got a little toy to stick in his nose, and I had to take him to the hospital to remove it. The removal process was simple and I could have done it myself, but I was anxious and worried to the point that my hands were shaky and failed to extract the toy. I learned that in a non-life-threatening situation, I should take a deep breath and calm down before taking any action.

Monday, 10 February 2025: My work was good today, I was able to close many issues in my to-do list. Despite 2 meetings that were not productive, I used the remaining 10-15 minutes of the meeting’s hour to do quick tasks. I learned to split tasks into smaller sub-tasks that can be done in less than 15 minutes, and inject them into the busy schedule to extract the most of the day.

3- Techniques to Enhance Self-Awareness

Self-awareness techniques involve activities and exercises that help individuals to raise their self-awareness, understand more about themselves, and set them on the right path towards personal growth and development. Common techniques include journalling, mindfulness meditation, reconnecting with earth (grounding), deep breathing exercises, strength assessments, and cognitive behavioral therapy exercises (Riopel, 2019). The text will explain some of those techniques and choose the best for the author.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely used therapeutic approach that that focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It involves a discussion between the therapist and the client, and helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. CBT is beneficial for treating cases of anxiety, depression, and trauma when combined with other techniques (mentioned above), enhancing self-awareness, empowering individuals and building skills, and ensuring long-term resilience to stress and anxiety (Trainer, 2024).

Mindfulness meditation is another effective technique that involves focusing on the present moment, looking at it differently without pre-judgement, and trying to extract different perspectives from it that focus on positive aspects. Mindfulness is beneficial for reducing stress caused by our fast-pace and busy life style, increasing self-awareness, and improving acceptance to current circumstances. Mindfulness meditation can be practiced in various forms, such as body scan, breathing, setting, and walking meditation (ODonnell, 2022).

To the author, the best technique to enhance self-awareness is Journalling. Journalling (as explained above) is a simple and effective technique that involve documenting events along with lessons or plans, and reviewing them later. This is particularly beneficial for not losing information as well as accountability for what has been achieved along with goals’ tracking. It also avoids the need of external help of CBT or disrupting the flow of life with meditation.

4- Role of Self-Awareness in Personal Development

Self-awareness involves learning about one’s values, strengths, weaknesses, triggers, habits, and motivations. Knowing all of these information about a person is the first step to build a personal development plan that is achievable, realistic, and ensures a better career prospects. Self-awareness is also being taught in many education programs such as MBA and is critical to job performance and leadership effectiveness (Carden, Jones, & Passmore, 2022).

Self-awareness, if employed well, sets us on the right path and directs our energy into the right direction which helps us in choosing the right career or carefully plan the next section of our life. On emotional intelligence, it helps us manages our anxiety and stress level making us psychologically healthier and more resilient. On social interactions, it helps us in making right people closer and wrong people away, and hence, build a strong social network that lift us up and support us in our journey.

Conclusion

Self-awareness is a crucial aspect of emotional intelligence that involves recognizing and understanding one’s emotions and their impact on oneself and others. Positive and negative emotions alike play a role in our life and we should study both to raise our self-awareness. The text explored different techniques and exercises to enhance self-awareness, including journalling, mindfulness meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy exercises.

The author found journalling to be the most effective technique for enhancing self-awareness, as it allows for permanent documentation of information and avoids the need for external help or disrupting daily routines. The crucial role of self-awareness in personal development was highlighted, emphasizing the importance of understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses which is a key for setting SMART goals and achieving them.

References