Eve Ekman, a social scientist and meditation teacher, discusses emotion awareness, handshaking meditation practice, constructive vs. destructive emotions, leveraging technology for emotional tracking, teaching meditation, the Atlas of Emotion, and life lessons from surfing in an engaging conversation.
Emotional awareness aids in understanding and kindness by detaching from self-focused concerns.
Reappraisal and emotion granularity assist in effective emotion regulation and proactive emotional management.
Recognizing the complexity of emotions and responses helps in distinguishing between constructive and destructive emotional expressions.
Deep dives
Importance of Emotional Awareness
Emotional awareness is crucial for clear perception and kindness, as being engulfed in self-related concerns hinders understanding emotions. Developing emotional awareness allows individuals to grasp the multifaceted factors influencing emotions and be more present in their surroundings. By fostering emotional awareness, people like Eve Ekman aim to help individuals in various sectors like healthcare, business, and schools navigate their emotions effectively.
Strategies for Emotion Regulation
Traditional strategies like reappraisal and emotion granularity play key roles in emotion regulation. Reappraisal involves reframing challenging experiences to provide context and compassion, while emotion granularity emphasizes specific emotion labeling for de-centering. Additionally, cultivating practices for gratitude, appreciation, and compassion serves as a proactive approach to managing difficult emotions effectively.
Destructive versus Constructive Emotions
The distinction between destructive and constructive emotions lies in how they are expressed and managed. Emotions themselves are not inherently negative or positive, but it is the responses to emotions that determine their impact. Anger, for instance, can be both constructive when channelled towards social justice or destructive when impulsively acted upon. Understanding and navigating emotions require a nuanced approach that acknowledges their complexity and potential for both constructive and destructive outcomes.
The Role of Self in Emotions and Liberation
Exploring the intersection of Buddhism and emotions, the discussion delves into the concept of self and its impact on emotional experiences. Emphasizing the importance of loosening the grip on self-identity, the podcast highlights the potential for emotional freedom and calmness. By cultivating compassion and setting intentions for peace of mind, individuals can navigate emotional responses with increased awareness and kindness, leading to a shift towards a baseline of calm and reduced reactivity.
Utilizing Technology for Emotional Awareness
The podcast delves into leveraging technology, particularly in emotional tracking and wellbeing support. It showcases the benefits of utilizing apps to enhance emotional awareness and improve overall well-being. By integrating features like emotion tracking and journaling accessible on smartphones, technology offers a practical approach to recognizing and managing emotions daily. Furthermore, the discussion extends to virtual reality meditation experiences, aiming to provide immersive and transformative practices to support mental and emotional well-being.
In this episode, Wendy speaks with social scientist and meditation teacher Eve Ekman. Eve's work integrates contemplative practice and modern psychology to help people learn about and work with their emotions. This conversation covers many topics, including:
her early exposure to Tibetan culture and Buddhism;
emotion regulation vs. awareness;
reappraisal and self-compassion;
labeling feelings & being seen;
handshake meditation practice;
mapping an emotion: trigger, experience, and response;
the complexity of what shapes each moment;
becoming more sensitive through meditation;
constructive vs. destructive emotions, and the complexities of anger;
understanding equanimity;
leveraging technology to help awareness and tracking of emotions;
helping Apple incorporate well-being practices into its platforms;
teaching meditation through the Cultivating Emotional Balance program;