Every school/college claims that holistic development of a student is its guiding principle. Very few teachers and students know, What does holistic development exactly mean? There are four dimensions to human personality. First is Physical Quotient (PQ). Second is Intellectual Quotient. Third is Emotional Quotient(EQ) and forth is Value Quotient (VQ). EQ also called emotional intelligence is equally if not more important than other three dimensions. It was Aristotle who said, ” Educating a mind without educating a heart is no education at all.” Here educating a mind implies training of reasoning and logic and Educating a heart implies training of emotions. Today we have created a society that puts a lot of emphasis on IQ and completely neglects EQ. Following are some examples which show what happens when we completely neglect EQ.
A student from Gurugram committed suicide. It was because he scored 75% in 12th std but was expecting 90%. The Supreme Court intervened, asking Rajasthan why these deaths are happening only in Kota. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that 14 student suicides had already been reported in coaching centers this year. One comes across a number of such examples which clearly show the failure of the system in nurturing emotionally intelligent students. I am sharing some tools which are highly scientific, time tested and easy to execute. These tools made me emotionally intelligent which further helped me to navigate smoothly through difficult situations of my life.
- Don’t be result oriented ——- There was a study conducted by Kevin Ochsner Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Columbia University , Founder and former Director of the Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab (SCAN Lab) at Columbia. The study was published in 2002 in the journal, Science. The key takeaway of the study was, When one is process oriented, focusing on habits, daily routine and efforts , one engages the prefrontal cortex (PFC) , especially dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. PFC is responsible for controlled actions which further leads to better emotional regulation. In contrast when one is result oriented, focusing on outcomes, end goals and performance, one overactivated amygdala( emotions/fear center) especially when failure or uncertainty arises, leading to stress, anxiety, or aversion towards the actions.
- Meditation– There was a study conducted by Sara W Lazar, Neuroscientist and Assistant Professor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and Research Scientist in the Psychiatric Neuroimaging Program at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2005 published in the journal, NeuroReport. The key finding of the study was meditation increases cortical thickness, especially in areas involved in regulating emotions and focus.
- Sleep- “Sleep can not be replaced or dosed”, said Matthew Walker, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. Emotional regulation is coordination between the prefrontal cortex and Amygdala . Prefrontal cortex performs key functions like analytical thinking, rational decision making, and planning. Amygdala is the sit of emotions. One can consider the prefrontal cortex as a break and the amygdala as an accelerator. Lack of sleep significantly impacts coordination between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.
- Physical Activity– We have 206 bones, 700 skeletal muscles and 360 joints. This clearly shows nature has designed us to move not to live a sedentary life. Windy Suzuki, American neuroscientist specializing in neuroplasticity, memory, and the effects of aerobic exercise on brain health said physical exercise leads to formation of BDNF ( Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). It is a type of protein which plays a vital role in neuroplasticity, mood regulation and memory. Physical exercise also leads to release of Endorphins, a happiness chemical.
- Nutrition– Dr. Chris Palmer, Harvard psychiatrist & researcher, Pioneer in metabolic psychiatry, emphasis on the role of nutrition while dealing with stress and anxiety. Brain is the fattest organ in the human body. Omega3, Omega6 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain health. Walnut and flax seeds are good sources of Omega3 fatty acids. Sunflower seeds are a good source of omega6. A healthy mind can easily deal with stress, anxiety, fear and uncertainty.
Most of you must have already heard or read about the tool which I talked about. I firmly believe there is a huge difference between knowing something and executing it in real life. If you already knew the tools, did I execute it ? I want you to ask this question to yourself. If the aforesaid tools are completely new to you, I encourage you to execute it in your life. Remember this, if knowledge is a power then wisdom is a superpower.
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