From October 6 to November 24, 2020, Fondacio Asia organized an 8-week workshop on emotional intelligence as part of its one-year learning process called “Shared Journey of Transformation”.
Story telling:
It’s a new day for Holly.
She gets ready for the day and gets to work. Thank goodness, despite the pandemic, she can work safely from home. Everything is ready and planned for the day.
Then, suddenly, an “undesirable friend” visits him.
She begins to feel heavy and uncomfortable. She thinks about the uncertainty of tomorrow, the deadlines approaching, the projects and opportunities she misses all because of the pandemic.
Knowing that she can’t do anything about it makes her angry: towards the government, her boss and sometimes even towards herself. It has affected her work and sometimes even her relationship with the people she loves.
Like Holly, we sometimes feel trapped in the situation.
We all want to make the most of our days, but sometimes it’s hard to pick ourselves up. Knowing that we are wasting our time worrying about certain things only adds to the list of things that worry us.
This is why emotional intelligence is important. Studies even say it is more important than IQ for success.
Yet, what do we know about our emotions?
Why did Fondacio Asia choose to study emotional intelligence as part of the “Shared Journey” program?
From October 6 to November 24, 2020, Fondacio Asia organized an 8-week workshop on emotional intelligence as part of its one-year learning process called “Shared Journey of Transformation”.
This workshop entitled “Being Whole Being Me”, led by Malar Villi from Hearts and Minds, was attended by more than 30 Fondacio Asia members from the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos.
As for everyone, this pandemic has affected the various missions of Fondacio Asia.
Our various Young Lives centers have either had to postpone their classes or move online. Fondacio Asia had to quickly adapt its online sessions and workshops while Youn Sone’s production was hampered. Interactions between our local communities (in Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines) have been limited to online gatherings. New challenges and new limits appear.
Yet, for our participants and beneficiaries, we must adapt and continue to serve them.
This workshop aims to help us adapt to the situation and continue to be more effective in our missions. Also, to become more effective in dealing with our challenges in different aspects of our lives.
We wanted this session to help our members relate to each other – to be aware, to manage and express their emotions and to manage interpersonal relationships with care and compassion.
Over the 8 sessions we covered the following topics: Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Motivation, Personality Plus, Team Spirit, Feelings, Tools for Emotional Growth and Hormones/Stress.
Here is one of the techniques/tools we learned called TFA (Thinking, Feeling, Action)
We take an event in our life for us to study. In this example, it was when an elderly person cut the queue.
Stage 1: Sentiment – We start in the middle, where it is easiest to identify. How did I feel during this event? In the example, she felt furious.
Step 2: Thinking – Having identified the feeling, we now examine why we felt it. In the example, she felt angry because she thought the older person was an opportunist.
Stage 3: Action – Next, we begin to understand why this event made us act in a certain way.
It’s just to understand why we feel and act a certain way. Especially if we are not at peace with our actions.
This is where we try to improve things. We try to see things differently.
Step 4: Alternative Thinking – I try to think about what other reasons the older person might have for doing such an act. Maybe the person was in a hurry, or they didn’t see the line, or they have an emergency.
Step 5: Alternate Feeling – Looking at the alternate reasons, we would definitely also have different feelings about the event. If the person did not see the queue, we would be more lenient. Or if the person had an emergency, we might even sympathize with the older person. This will then lead us to act differently.
And you ? Can you remember an event where you were unhappy with your reaction or actions to a situation? Why not try this exercise with your most recent experience.
If we consistently practice this simple technique, we can release our regrets and avoid hurting our relationships or ourselves.
How does the “Shared Journey” program enrich the learning experience?
Thanks to Malar’s superb animation and engaging stories, each session is truly rewarding.
And because we do this as part of the “Shared Journey of Transformation,” we can learn from and affirm each other in learning this important skill.
As Malar said, by simply sharing our stories, we can inspire others even without realizing that our stories are inspiring. At the same time, others can show us how strong and courageous we are in the face of our difficulties, which helps us to better appreciate our situations and ourselves.
This is where learning together makes the journey more meaningful and fruitful.
We could have attended these sessions separately, but that will not give us the impact we receive now that we are learning together.
So we also encourage you, if you find a place to learn about emotional intelligence or any other topic for that matter, to find a trusted family or friend who can accompany you on your journey. You will definitely learn a lot from each other.
Conclusion
We sometimes neglect, fear or despise our emotions, but God has given them to us as a gift so that we can enjoy them. It makes life more enjoyable and sometimes even shows us the way or the answer.
Like some of us who joined this with hesitation or indifference, you too might find it a fun journey worth starting. And maybe even for some, it’s the journey God has prepared for us so that we can finally break through and live the life He designed for us.
Let’s be more efficient every day by mastering our emotions. Although it is simple, it is not necessarily easy. It takes daily practice to be aware of our emotions. Little by little, our efforts will help us build the life we love and love the life we have created.
