Recognizing Emotions

Contributing Editor: Jazmine Tavenner, Director of Programs at CRS

One of the most beautiful things about being a human being is our ability to experience and express emotions. Our capacity to love and show love and joy or our ability to feel angry and express that anger in positive ways and even the ability to reject those things that disgust us are all a function of the beau­tiful gift of emotions. This month’s issue is all about our emotions and their influence on how we get along with others and with ourselves. Developing emotional competence is a life-long process of learning to recognize, name, and manage our emotions in order to improve our success in life, learning, play, work, and relationships.

In this issue, you will discover foundational information about what emotions are, the role that recognizing and identifying emotions play in self-regulation and collaboration, and how various emotions may feel and look in others and ourselves. Specific topics include mindfulness as a tool for managing emotions; the role emotions play in students’ learning help-seeking skills; and the importance of emotional self-regulation in social media engagement.