Emotional Intelligence Course

Recognizing, being aware of, managing, understanding emotions, developing sattvic (harmonic) emotions and freeing oneself from lower emotions.

Course Contents: Read the contents below on this page.
Duration: The seminar has a duration of 20 Hours. It consists of 4 hours per week for 5 weeks.
Place: Online or in presence depending on the circumstances, See Calendar.
Date and Time: See Calendar.
Language:.English, Spanish, Ελληνικά, See Calendar
Participants: 15 participants
Registration and Participation: See Calendar.

Who this course is for:

Those who want to learn about emotions.
Become able to manage their emotions and develop emotional intelligence
Those who want inner peace and harmony
Spiritual seekers and practitioners (of all levels) of spirituality, Self-knowledge, Non-duality and Yoga.
Spiritual teachers or instructors
Students of Psychology
Psychologists
Sport Psychologists
Αnyone who is interested in Psychology

Emotional Intelligence Course Contents

Definition of Emotional intelligence (EI)

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. The ability to recognize owr own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and identify them, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior and adjust emotions to adapt to environments. Daniel Goleman defined Emotional intelligence (EI) as the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance.

Impoving Emotional intelligence (EI)

Yes, you can. You can start by learning to identify the emotions you are feeling as well as understanding them. If you are able to name the emotion you are feeling, you have a better chance of understanding what you are feeling. You can also learn to better regulate your emotions just by stopping and thinking before you act and judge. These skills will help you martial inner resolve and stick to what really matters in life.

R.U.L.E.R
R: Recognize
U: Understand
L: Label
E: Express
R: Regulate

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/supersurvivors/201911/building-emotional-intelligence-isnt-hard-you-think

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REGULATION ΡΥΘΜΙΣΗ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΝΑΙΣΘΗΜΆΤΩΝ

https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-regulation/

Η συναισθηματική ρύθμιση περιλαμβάνει τρία στοιχεία:

Έναρξη ενεργειών που προκαλούνται από τα συναισθήματα.
Αναστολή ενεργειών που προκαλούνται από συναισθήματα.
Ρύθμιση των αντιδράσεων που προκαλούνται από τα συναισθήματα.

Reappraisal,

There are two broad categories of emotional regulation. The first is reappraisal: changing how we think about something in order to change our response. The second is suppression, which is linked to more negative outcomes. Research indicates that ignoring our emotions is associated with dissatisfaction and poor well-being.

Self-soothing

Self-soothing, in any form, can reduce the toxic effects of anger, sadness, and agony that negative experiences bring (Heiy & Cheavens, 2014). Scientists believe that self-soothing, as opposed to self-confrontation, guarantees better and quicker answers when it comes to managing thoughts and emotions.

We can practice several variations of self-soothing exercises, including:

Self-compassion and loving-kindness meditation.
Music meditation, where we set aside some minutes to listen to music and unwind ourselves with the relaxing sound.
Reminiscence therapy, which works great for resolving emotional conflicts involving other people. The practice involves merely sitting and trying to recollect all the good memories we have once had with the person we are now struggling with.
Breathing exercises, including breath control, breath counting, and simple breath relaxation.
Simple self-care such as a hot bath, a relaxing massage, cooking for yourself, etc.

Attentional control

Attentional control starts with reappraisal. It aims to divert our attention away from the negative emotion and allows us to look at it from a rewarding perspective.

For example, we can overpower the irresistible anger and shame that follows an insult or abuse from someone, by thinking of it as a lesson that taught you to avoid building connections with rude people.

By focusing more on what you learned from the conflict, you not only save yourself from the severe stress and agony, but you also gain a perspective of how you can avoid such interpersonal disputes later. As a result, you are successful in modulating your responses to the negative encounter and restoring your mental peace altogether (Gross & John, 2003).

6 Most Useful Emotional Regulation Skills for Adults

Self-regulation is all about pausing between feeling and reactions – it encourages us to slow down for a bit and act after objectively evaluating a situation. For example, a student who yells at others and hits their friends for petty reasons surely has less emotional control than a child who, before hitting or yelling, tells the teacher about their problems.

Another huge aspect of emotional regulation is value engagement. When we react impulsively without paying much attention to what is going on inside, we might often deviate from our core values and act in a way that is opposite to them. With proper regulation and self-control, we gain the power to stay calm under pressure and prevent ourselves from acting against our core values and ethics.

Here are some skills that can help in cultivating emotional regulation and sustaining it during challenging times in life.

1. Self-awareness

Noticing what we feel and naming it is a great step toward emotional regulation. For example, when you feel bad, ask yourself – Am I feeling sad, hopeless, ashamed, or anxious?

Give yourself some options and explore your feelings. Try to name the specific emotions that you can feel intensely within yourself at that very moment, and write it down if you want. You need not act or judge the cause and effect of your emotions at this stage; all you need is complete awareness of each feeling that is controlling your mind ‘right now.’

2. Mindful awareness

In addition to gaining thought awareness, mindfulness lets us explore and identify all aspects of the external world, including our body. Simple mindful exercises such as breath control or sensory relaxation can calm the storm inside and guide our actions in the right way.

3. Cognitive reappraisal

Cognitive reappraisal includes altering the way we think. It is an essential component of psychotherapies like CBT, DBT, and Anger Management, and calls for greater acceptance and flexibility.

Cognitive reappraisal skills may include practices such as thought replacement or situational role reversals, where we try to look into a stressful situation from a whole new perspective.

For example, we can replace thoughts like ‘My boss hates me’, ‘I am no longer needed here’, etc. with alternatives such as, ‘My boss is upset at this moment, I am sure I can make up for this’, or ‘I know I am hard working and honest, let me give it another try’, etc.. By doing so, we gain a broader and better perception of our problems and react to them with more positivity.

4. Adaptability

Emotional dysregulation lowers our adaptability to life changes. We become more prone to distractions and fail our coping mechanisms, which is why we often start resisting changes. A great exercise to build adaptability is objective evaluation.

For example, when you feel bogged down by stressful emotions that you want to avoid, and you might end up destructively reacting to them, take a moment to think what if your best friend was experiencing the same thing? What would you have suggested they do under these circumstances? Write your answers if you want to and try to think if you are following the same steps for yourself!

5. Self-compassion

Setting aside some time for ourselves every day is a great way to build emotional regulation skills. Reminding ourselves of our talents and virtues, and letting our minds land on a flexible space can immensely change the way we feel and react to our emotions.

Some simple self-compassion hacks involve:

Daily positive self-affirmations
Relaxation and breath control
Compassion meditation
Regular self-care
Gratitude journaling

6. Emotional support

Psychologists believe that we all have the innate capacity to build a robust emotional repertoire and save our mental energy from getting invested in negativity. We can seek emotional support within ourselves by practicing mindful self-awareness or can seek help outside by engaging in positive communication with others.

It is okay to see a therapist or professional when our inner coping fails; the sole focus is to create a positive emotional shield that can channelize our emotions to bring out the best in us.

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Let’s look at 7 strategies that can help to manage emotions in a healthy and helpful way.

1. Identify and reduce triggers

You shouldn’t try to avoid negative emotions — or be afraid of them. But you also don’t have to keep putting yourself in a situation that brings on unpleasant emotions. Start to look for patterns or factors that are present when you start to feel strong emotions. This requires some curiosity and honesty. Did something make you feel small? Strong emotions often spring up out of our deep-seated insecurities, especially the ones we hide. What is happening around you and what past experiences does it bring up for you?

When you identify these triggers, you can start to explore why they carry so much weight and whether you can reduce their importance. For example, a CEO might be embarrassed to admit that he gets angry when discussing numbers because he struggled in math class. Understanding this trigger might be enough. Or, the CEO might choose to preview the monthly charts in private to avoid the trigger of feeling like everyone else is waiting for him.

2. Tune into physical symptoms

Pay attention to how you are feeling, including whether you are feeling hungry or tired. These factors can exacerbate your emotions and cause you to interpret your emotions more strongly. If you can address the underlying issue (e.g. hunger, exhaustion), you can change your emotional response.

3. Consider the story you are telling yourself

In the absence of information, we fill in the blanks with details of our own. Perhaps you are feeling rejected after you haven’t heard from a family member; you believe it is because they no longer care about you.

Before you make these attributions, ask yourself: what other explanations might be possible? In the example of the family member, what else could be going on with them that would stop them from reaching out to you? Could they be busy or sick? Are they a well-intentioned person who often forgets to follow through on commitments?

BetterUp’s Shonna Waters recommends the “just like me” technique. Whatever motive or action you are assigning to the other person (there’s almost always another person involved), add “just like me” to the end. It is a way of reminding yourself that they are also an imperfect human being.

4. Engage in positive self-talk

When our emotions feel overwhelming, our self-talk can become negative: “I messed up again” or “everyone else is so awful.” If you treat yourself with empathy, you can replace some of this negative talk with positive comments. Try encouraging yourself by saying “I always try so hard” or “People are doing the best they can.” This shift can help mitigate the emotions we’re feeling. You can still be frustrated with a situation that isn’t working but no longer have to assign blame or generalize it beyond the situation.

5. Make a choice about how to respond

In most situations, we have a choice about how to respond. If you tend to respond to feelings of anger by lashing out at people, you likely notice the negative impact it is having on your relationships. You might also notice that it doesn’t feel good. Or, it feels good at the moment, but the consequences are painful.

Next time you feel anger or fear, recognize that you get to choose how you want to respond. That recognition is powerful. Rather than lashing out, can you try a different response? Is it possible for you to tell someone that you’re feeling angry rather than speaking harshly to them? Get curious about what will happen if you switch up your responses. How did you feel? How did the other person respond?

6. Look for positive emotions

Human beings naturally attribute more weight to negative emotions than positive ones. This is known as negativity bias. Negative emotions, like disgust, anger, and sadness tend to carry a lot of weight. Positive feelings, like contentment, interest, and gratitude are quieter. Making a habit of noticing these positive experiences can boost resilience and well-being.

7. Seek out a therapist

Managing our own emotions can be difficult. It requires a high degree of self-awareness. When we’re having a hard time, our emotional self-regulation begins to suffer. Sometimes we need a partner like a therapist who can help us learn better self-regulation skills. Fortunately, there are a number of therapeutic solutions that can help us learn to better regulate our emotions.

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Emotional mind

The external mind reacts with emotions to sensory inputs and experiences and their memory. However, although there is a mental element in the emotions, the seat of the emotions is the psychic vital energy[1] (psychic prana). There are lower rajasotamasic emotions and also sattvic emotions related to the psychic vital energy. Through repetition, emotions condition our inner mind (Chitta, Subconscious) and become habitual emotional patterns that manifest compulsively under the same and similar circumstances.

The emotional patterns are associated with sensory impressions, thoughts and mental images. The external mind coordinates thoughts and mental images with emotions as well as with sensory impressions (images, sounds, tastes, smells, touches) and with their memory.

[1] the psychic vital energy: Read more about the vital-emotional sheath in the appendix at the end of the book.

Not a single emotion exists that is not related to something else. There is always some external object involved. Not a single emotion is your own. When you take in a sensation, the sensation finally leads to emotion.

~ Swami Rama

Theory and Practice

Part I

The essential Consciousness
The mind
The ego
The Three qualities – Gunas
The three Bioenergies – Doshas
The emotions. Reactions to sensory experiences and their rememberance.

Part II

State of Consciousness and emotions
The three qualities (Gunas) and emotions
The three Bioenergies (Doshas) and emotions
Lower and Higher emotions
Main aemotions
Duality of emotions (Raga-Dvesha)
Sensory perceptions and emotions
Nurishment of emotions. Continous and periodical alimentation of emotions.The emotions need to be nourished periodically (like the body) by expressing themselves as reactions to external events or to their memory and also by seeking or creating suitable situations to express themselves.
Thoughts and Emotions
Beliefs and emotions
Ego and emotions
Desire and emotions
Pride, reputation, Self-worth and emotions
Need for acceptance, aproval, recognition, reward from others
Association, projection and emotions
Identifiacation and attachment to emotions
Life situations and emotions
Health and emotions
Success and failure and emotions
Stress, fatigue and emotions. What are the signs of stress?
The signs of stress include insomnia, stomachaches, headaches, muscle tension, a racing heartbeat, and trouble concentrating, among others. Signs of burnout, a concept distinct from stress, include three key markers: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and depersonalization, and reduced personal efficacy. Aches and pains. Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing. Exhaustion or trouble sleeping. Difficulty of memory, Headaches, dizziness or shaking, High blood pressure. Muscle tension or jaw clenching. Stomach or digestive problems. Trouble having sex.
Contentment, love and emotions
Food and emotions
Life style and emotions (sattvic, rajasic, tamasic).

1. Take a look at the impact of your emotions

As the felt response to a given situation, emotions play a key part in your reactions. When you’re in tune with them, you have access to important knowledge that helps with:

decision-making
relationship success
day-to-day interactions
self-care

While emotions can have a helpful role in your daily life, they can take a toll on your emotional health and interpersonal relationships when they start to feel out of control.

With a little practice, though, you can take back the reigns. Two studies from 2010Trusted Source suggest that having good emotional regulation skills is linked to well-being. Plus, the second one found a potential link between these skills and financial success, so putting in some work on that front may literally pay off.

When you suppress or repress emotions, you’re preventing yourself from experiencing and expressing feelings. This can happen consciously (suppression) or unconsciously (repression).

2. Aim for regulation, not repression

You can’t control your emotions with a dial (if only it were that easy!). But imagine, for a moment, that you could manage emotions this way.

You wouldn’t want to leave them running at maximum all the time. You also wouldn’t want to switch them off entirely, either.

When you suppress or repress emotions, you’re preventing yourself from experiencing and expressing feelings. This can happen consciously (suppression) or unconsciously (repression).

Either can contribute to mental and physical health symptoms, including:

anxiety
depression
sleep issues
muscle tension and pain
difficulty managing stress
substance misuse

When learning to exercise control over emotions, make sure you aren’t just sweeping them under the rug. Healthy emotional expression involves finding some balance between overwhelming emotions and no emotions at all.

3. Identify what you’re feeling

Taking a moment to check in with yourself about your mood can help you begin gaining back control.

Say you’ve been seeing someone for a few months. You tried planning a date last week, but they said they didn’t have time. Yesterday, you texted again, saying, “I’d like to see you soon. Can you meet this week?”

They finally reply, more than a day later: “Can’t. Busy.”

You’re suddenly extremely upset. Without stopping to think, you hurl your phone across the room, knock over your wastebasket, and kick your desk, stubbing your toe.

Interrupt yourself by asking:

What am I feeling right now? (disappointed, confused, furious)
What happened to make me feel this way? (They brushed me off with no explanation.)
Does the situation have a different explanation that might make sense? (Maybe they’re stressed, sick, or dealing with something else they don’t feel comfortable explaining. They might plan to explain more when they can.)
What do I want to do about these feelings? (Scream, vent my frustration by throwing things, text back something rude.)
Is there a better way of coping with them? (Ask if everything’s OK. Ask when they’re free next. Go for a walk or run.)

By considering possible alternatives, you’re reframing your thoughts, which can help you modify your first extreme reaction.

4. Accept your emotions — all of them

If you’re trying to get better at managing emotions, you might try downplaying your feelings to yourself.

NOT HELPFUL SELF-TALK When you hyperventilate after receiving good news or collapse on the floor screaming and sobbing when you can’t find your keys, it might seem helpful to tell yourself, “Just calm down,” or “It’s not that big of a deal, so don’t freak out.”

But this invalidates your experience. It is a big deal to you.

Accepting emotions as they come helps you get more comfortable with them. Increasing your comfort around intense emotions allows you to fully feel them without reacting in extreme, unhelpful ways.

5. Keep a mood journal

Writing down (or typing up) your feelings and the responses they trigger can help you uncover any disruptive patterns.

Sometimes, it’s enough to mentally trace emotions back through your thoughts. Putting feelings onto paper can allow you to reflect on them more deeply.

It also helps you recognize when specific circumstances, like trouble at work or family conflict, contribute to harder-to-control emotions. Identifying specific triggers makes it possible to come up with ways to manage them more productively.

Journaling provides the most benefit when you do it daily. Keep your journal with you and jot down intense emotions or feelings as they happen. Try to note the triggers and your reaction. If your reaction didn’t help, use your journal to explore more helpful possibilities for the future.

6. Take a deep breath

There’s much to be said for the power of a deep breath, whether you’re ridiculously happy or so angry you can’t speak.

Slowing down and paying attention to your breath won’t make the emotions go away (and remember, that’s not the goal).

Still, deep breathing exercises can help you ground yourself and take a step back from the first intense flash of emotion and any extreme reaction you want to avoid.

The next time you feel emotions starting to take control:

Breathe in slowly. Deep breaths come from the diaphragm, not the chest. It may help to visualize your breath rising from deep in your belly.
Hold it. Hold your breath for a count of three, then let it out slowly.
Consider a mantra. Some people find it helpful to repeat a mantra, like “I am calm” or “I am relaxed.”
Know when to express yourself
There’s a time and place for everything, including intense emotions. Sobbing uncontrollably is a pretty common response to losing a loved one, for example. Screaming into your pillow, even punching it, might help you relieve some anger and tension after being dumped.
Other situations, however, call for some restraint. No matter how frustrated you are, screaming at your boss over an unfair disciplinary action won’t help.
Being mindful of your surroundings and the situation can help you learn when it’s OK to let feelings out and when you might want to sit with them for the moment.
8. Give yourself some space
Getting some distance from intense feelings can help you make sure you’re reacting to them in reasonable ways, according to Botnick.
This distance might be physical, like leaving an upsetting situation, for example. But you can also create some mental distance by distracting yourself.
While you don’t want to block or avoid feelings entirely, it’s not harmful to distract yourself until you’re in a better place to deal with them. Just make sure you do come back to them. Healthy distractions are only temporary.
Try:
taking a walk
watching a funny video
talking to a loved one
spending a few minutes with your pet
9. Try meditation
If you practice meditation already, it might be one of your go-to methods for coping with extreme feelings.
Meditation can help you increase your awareness of all feelings and experiences. When you meditate, you’re teaching yourself to sit with those feelings, to notice them without judging yourself or attempting to change them or make them go away.
As mentioned above, learning to accept all of your emotions can make emotional regulation easier. Meditation helps you increase those acceptance skills. It also offers other benefits, like helping you relax and get better sleep.
Our guide to different kinds of meditation can help you get started.
10. Stay on top of stress
When you’re under a lot of stress, managing your emotions can become more difficult. Even people who generally can control their emotions well might find it harder in times of high tension and stress.
Reducing stress, or finding more helpful ways to manage it, can help your emotions become more manageable.
Mindfulness practices like meditation can help with stress, too. They won’t get rid of it, but they can make it easier to live with.
Other healthy ways to cope with stress include:
getting enough sleep
making time to talk (and laugh) with friends
exercise
spending time in nature
making time for relaxation and hobbies

Part III

Regulating negative or painful emotions
Avoiding negative or painful emotions
Distraction as a means avoiding painfull emotions
Repression and suppresion of emotions

Part IV

Emotional intelligence
Managment of emotions.
Accepting uncomfortable, negative or painful emotions

Part V

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Identify and reduce triggers
Tune into physical symptoms
Consider the story you are telling yourself
Engage in positive self-talk
Make a choice about how to respond
Look for positive emotions

When this skill is honed, it can help you:

feel balanced and in control of your emotional reaction
stay calm during challenging situations
better manage stress
protect important connections
actively listen to the needs of others
express your needs in constructive ways
remain professional in work situations
not take things personally

Ask, “What are these feelings telling me?

5. Find a way to express the feeling mindfully and safely.

Now we’re entering some Choose Your Own Adventure territory. The best way to respond to an emotion once you’ve identified and unpacked it—and once you’re practicing some self-compassion around it—will differ for each person. A lot of the time, a good strategy is expressing the emotion somehow instead of keeping it inside you.

Do you need to talk about it with a friend? Do you need to write it out in your journal? Do you need to have a good cry? The list goes on: Paint something. Rip up a piece of paper. Dance around to a cathartic song. Hell, try anxiously scrubbing a bathtub (don’t judge me). Whatever helps you feel like you’re working through the emotion. “So many people try their hardest not to feel something,” says Howes. “They don’t realize the relief that comes with not having to suppress it any longer.”

Because that’s another reason why this practice is so important: It allows us to choose how to mindfully and safely express our emotions instead of taking them out on others or falling into destructive patterns. “You’re frequently feeling lower, manageable doses of emotion instead of numb, numb, numb, numb, numb, explode!” says Howes.

8. Be smart and intentional about using distractions

“If feelings are overwhelming, if it feels like you’re caught in a loop and ruminating and feeling worse, absolutely you should find something to take your mind off of it,” says Howes.

The key difference between numbing your emotions and a helpful distraction is what you feel like afterward.” So if you tend to dread coming back to the real world or find your emotions get worse and not better, that’s probably a sign it’s on the less helpful side of things.

More than that, Bonior says giving yourself permission to enjoy some restorative distraction can go a long way. Too often we layer guilt on top of our behavior and we wind up feeling worse, not because the distraction was bad for us, but because we’re judging ourselves too much to enjoy it. So just…enjoy a few hours of TV if you need it.

Practice, practice, practice.

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Consider the story you are telling yourself

Engage in positive self-talk

Disidentifying and trascending emotions
Copying with emotions moment to moment
Bach remedies
Asanas yoga and emotions
Exercise & emotions
Breathing and emotions. 1. Breathing is probably the fastest and most effective tool to feel better fast. 2. Breathing tops mindfulness and emotional intelligence for mental health and well-being. 3. Breathing builds stress resilience.
Music and emotions
Mantra and emotions
Meditation and emotions
Self-awareness and emotions
Our true Self (Consciousness) and emotions
Mindfullnes and Self-observation of emotions
Recognizing, identifying and accepting emotions
Disidentifying and trascending emotions
Non-identification and dettachement from emotions
Self-enquiry and emotions
Discriminative enquiry of emotions
Journaling: What does journaling do for you?You may have stopped using a diary once you reached adulthood. But the concept and its benefits still apply. Now it’s called journaling. It’s simply writing down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. And if you struggle with stress, depression, or anxiety, keeping a journal can be a great idea. It can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health.
Realizing emotional stress
Cleansing and dissolving negative emotional energy
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
Prayer and Mantras
Positive or luminous affirmations and emotions
Visualzations and emotions
Abandoning limited and false beliefs
Fostering Self-worth and Self-confindence.
Gratitude,
Acceptance of ourselves, other and life events