I have two weeks of CPE left to go, and I've learned so much. This is the week I will work on recording all that I have learned in my final self-evaluation. But I think it all boils down to one very simple idea:
It is incredibly valuable to be able to name the emotions you are feeling before you make a decision based on them.
How simple is that? Well, it's a simple idea. But how many of us are able to name our feelings at any given moment? I know it's difficult for me. But now I'm practicing. Now I find more and more situations in which I am able to say to myself, for instance, "Hold up. Feel that? Your heart rate just went up. Why? What feeling is this? OK, it's nervousness. Now, why? What about this situation is making you nervous? Maybe it's important to know something about that before you speak."
Obviously there are situations in which we need to act without the benefit of taking time to name our emotions -- that's what some emotions are for, I think. But it is so valuable just to have the option. It slows me down at times when slowing down is helpful not only for me, but for the people I'm interacting with.
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