2| Self-Awareness Explained | Master Your Emotions & Reactions | The Power of EQ Ep. 2 | 2025 — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:05ever feel like your emotions are running  the show Welcome to the power of emotional
2. 0:10intelligence podcast I am Mark Monte citizen  of the world founder of an emotional and I'm
3. 0:16here to help you build stronger connections deepen  self-awareness and grow your resilience in today's
4. 0:23everchanging world in each episode we explore real  life insights practical strategies and inspiring
5. 0:30stories to help you tap into the full potential  of emotional intelligence whether you are aiming
6. 0:36to excel at work strengthens your relationships  or enrich your personal life you are in the right
7. 0:43place let's get started and hey don't forget  to follow the channel share it with friends
8. 0:49and give us a five star rating to help more people  develop their emotional intelligence thank you for
9. 0:54listening and don't keep this journey to yourself  [Music] welcome to another episode of The Power
10. 1:02of emotional intelligence in today's Journey we  exploring self-awareness the foundation pillar
11. 1:09of emotional intelligence have you ever reacted  In the Heat of the Moment only to wish you pose
12. 1:16first or wonder how to transform nervous energy  into a driving force self-awareness or the key
13. 1:25in this episode you'll discover practical ways to  recognize emotions before before they take control
14. 1:31explore the science behind why self awareness  is vital and learn techniques to stay grounded
15. 1:38even during intense moments we'll talk about real  world examples like turning nerves into focused
16. 1:46energy and how to use self-awareness to unlock  what's known as the flow state that Peak moment
17. 1:53on focus and performance stay tuned with Maya and  Leo and by the end you will have the tools you
18. 2:01can start using today to boost your emotional  resilience make clearer decision and enjoy a
19. 2:09deeper understanding of yourself ready to tune  into your inner landscape let's get started how
20. 2:17often do you truly understand your emotions before  they influence your actions yeah like before they
21. 2:23kind of take over and make you do or say something  you regret later we all have those moments don't
22. 2:27we where we react without thinking just letting  our feelings Take the Wheel totally but what
23. 2:32if I know I do we could hit the pause button you  know what I mean understand what's driving those
24. 2:38reactions and choose a different path okay yeah  that would be that's where self-awareness comes
25. 2:44in the Cornerstone of emotional intelligence yeah  self-awareness it's like having that internal
26. 2:49Observer exactly you can say hey hold on a sec  right you're feeling anxious right now let's
27. 2:55not let that hijack this conversation that's the  power of self-awareness it gives you that space to
28. 3:02choose how you respond instead of just being ruled  by those knee-jerk reactions and that space can
29. 3:08make all the difference in every aspect of your  life so can you give us a concrete example of how
30. 3:14this actually plays out in a real world situation  absolutely let's say you're giving a presentation
31. 3:19at work and you notice your heart's racing oh yeah  Palms are sweating classic signs of nervousness
32. 3:26exactly those are classic signs of nervousness but  if your self aware yeah you can recognize those
33. 3:32physical Sensations as a natural response to the  situation and actually use them to your advantage
34. 3:38oh that's interesting how how do you use those  nerves to your advantage well instead of letting
35. 3:43those nerves paralyze you yeah you can actually  reframe them as excitement oh you can tell
36. 3:49yourself I like that this adrenaline is giving  me energy it means I care about this presentation
37. 3:54it's like shifting your perspective from Fear  to excitement exactly it's about harnessing that
38. 3:59energy and using it to fuel your performance but  how does this all tie back to the larger concept
39. 4:05of emotional intelligence you know we hear that  term a lot EQ what does it really mean right well
40. 4:11self-awareness is the Bedrock of EQ okay because  it allows you to manage your emotions effectively
41. 4:17rather than being controlled by them so it's not  just about feeling good it's about using those
42. 4:23feelings as information to guide your actions  and your interactions that's a great point and
43. 4:28you know there's fascinating research that backs  this up Studies have shown that people with high
44. 4:34EQ tend to be more successful in their careers  have stronger relationships report higher levels
45. 4:41of overall well-being oh wow it's really powerful  stuff so where does this ability to be self-aware
46. 4:48come from are we born of it or can we develop it  over time that's a great question and while some
47. 4:54individuals might have a natural predisposition  towards self-awareness okay research just it's a
48. 5:00skill that can be cultivated through practice  and intention so it's not like you're either
49. 5:04self-aware or you're not exactly it's something  you can actively work on think of it like a muscle
50. 5:08that you can strengthen over time oh I like that  and one of the best ways to start building that
51. 5:13muscle is to Simply pay attention to your inner  world what does that look like in practice well
52. 5:18there are many techniques but one simple starting  point is to ask yourself throughout the day what
53. 5:24am I feeling right now just notice the  physical Sensations in your body okay
54. 5:29thoughts running through your mind and try to  label those emotions so instead of just going
55. 5:34through the emotions yes we're taking those  mindful pauses to check in with ourselves
56. 5:38exactly and you know the more you practice this  the more those emotions become recognizable it's
57. 5:45like learning a new language MH at first it might  feel foreign and unfamiliar but with consistent
58. 5:50effort you start to understand the nuances and  the subtleties okay so that makes sense for kind
59. 5:55of your average everyday emotions but what about  those times when our emotions feel really intense
60. 6:02right almost overwhelming is it even possible to  be self-aware in those moments it's definitely
61. 6:09more challenging I bet but it's precisely when  self-awareness is most crucial okay you see when
62. 6:15you're in the grip of a strong emotion it's like  your brain is being hijacked hijacked what do
63. 6:21you mean by that well to understand that we need  to delve into the Neuroscience of emotions okay
64. 6:27our brains are wired to respond to threats and  rewards and when we experience strong emotions a
65. 6:33region called the amydala takes over the amydala  it's like an alarm system that triggers a fight
66. 6:38ORF flight response so in those moments of intense  emotion right our brains are prioritizing survival
67. 6:46over rational thinking exactly and this is where  self-awareness can make a huge difference okay
68. 6:51if we can recognize that our amydala is firing MH  we can take steps to calm our nervous system and
69. 6:57regain control of our responses so instead of  reacting impulsively yeah we're creating that
70. 7:02space to choose a more thoughtful course of action  precisely and that space is what allows us to make
71. 7:08decisions that align with our values and goals  rather than being driven by our fears or anxieties
72. 7:13that's so powerful yeah I'm starting to see how  self-awareness is really the key to unlocking our
73. 7:19full potential it really is but to bring it back  to a more practical level are there any specific
74. 7:23techniques that can help us regain self-awareness  in those emotionally charged moments absolutely
75. 7:30one of the simplest and most effective  techniques is mindful breathing okay when you
76. 7:34feel overwhelmed just take a few deep slow breaths  focusing on the sensation of your breath entering
77. 7:40and leaving your body so it's about shifting our  attention from the swirling thoughts and feelings
78. 7:46to something more grounded more physical exactly  and you know even just a few minutes of mindful
79. 7:52breathing can help calm your nervous system  wow and bring you back to a more centered State
80. 7:58this is also fascinating I'm already starting to  rethink my own approach to self-improvement it's
81. 8:02not just about learning a new skill or heating  the gym right it's about understanding the
82. 8:07engine that drives everything else absolutely and  that understanding starts with the brain we can't
83. 8:13talk about self-awareness without delving a little  deeper into the fascinating world of Neuroscience
84. 8:17here's where it gets really interesting I've  always been curious about the science behind
85. 8:21our feelings what's actually going on up there  when we experience strong emotions well one key
86. 8:27player is the prefrontal cortex h think of it as  the CEO of your brain the Executive Center where
87. 8:34you're working memory right decision- making  and emotional regulation all come together
88. 8:39so it's like the command center where logic  and feelings intersect precisely and here's
89. 8:43where it gets fascinating when we experience  intense emotions okay like anxiety or anger
90. 8:51it's almost as if the prefrontal CeX gets hijacked  hijacked like someone's taking over the controls
91. 8:57in a sense yes yeah the emotional centers of  our brain particularly the amydala right can
92. 9:03send such strong signals that they disrupt  the prefrontal cortex's ability to function
93. 9:08optimally so that explains why when we're upset we  sometimes say we can't think straight exactly our
94. 9:15brains are literally being flooded with emotion  the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for
95. 9:20working memory gets overwhelmed and our rational  thinking takes a backseat this is what we often
96. 9:25call Neural hijacking wow I've never thought about  it that way so it's not just a saying there a real
97. 9:31phenomenon and there's a real biological basis for  that feeling of being overwhelmed by emotion there
98. 9:36absolutely is and to really understand the power  of this connection between the emotional brain
99. 9:42and the thinking brain there's a fascinating case  study you might find interesting it's the story
100. 9:47of a man named Elliot okay I'm all years who's  Elliott and why is his brain so special Elliot was
101. 9:53a patient who underwent surgery to remove a brain  tumor oh wow unfortunately the surgery also ended
102. 9:59up severing the connection between his emotional  brain specifically the amydala and his neocortex
103. 10:05the part of the brain responsible for higher level  thinking oh that sounds serious what happened to
104. 10:10him after the surgery well intellectually Elliott  seemed fine his IQ was intact his memory was fine
105. 10:16he could hold conversations wow but there was a  profound change in his decision making in what
106. 10:21way Elliot lost the ability to assign values to  his decisions oh wow he could logically analyze
107. 10:28all the options right but but he couldn't connect  to his feelings about them so even simple choices
108. 10:34like what like what to eat for lunch really  became agonizing that's incredible because he
109. 10:39couldn't feel which option was better or worse  so even though he could think clearly without
110. 10:45that emotional connection he couldn't decide what  was important to him exactly he became almost like
111. 10:51a robot processing information but lacking the  emotional Compass to guide his choices that's both
112. 10:58fascinating and a little bit frightening yeah it  really highlights how interconnected our thoughts
113. 11:03and feelings are absolutely Elliot's story is  a powerful illustration of why self-awareness
114. 11:09is so crucial if we're cut off from our emotions  right we lose a vital part of what makes us human
115. 11:16what allows us to make meaningful decisions  and navigate the complexities of life it's
116. 11:21almost like our emotions provide the color and  texture to the tapestry of Our Lives I love
117. 11:25that without them everything just feels flat and  meaningless that's a beautiful way to put it and
118. 11:31when we develop self-awareness we're essentially  tuning into those colors and textures allowing
119. 11:35them to inform our choices and actions this is all  starting to come together for me but you mentioned
120. 11:40that self-awareness also has benefits Beyond  just making better decisions right how does
121. 11:46it actually improve our lives well for one it  helps you manage your emotions more effectively
122. 11:52okay people with strong self-awareness are less  likely to get stuck in negative thought patterns
123. 11:57or ruminate on setbacks they're able to recognize  those feelings acknowledge them and then move on
124. 12:04more quickly so they're less likely to get bogged  down by bad moods or anxiety exactly and this has
125. 12:09a ripple effect there's interesting research  on optimism and how it relates to success oh
126. 12:14interesting for example a study at the University  of Pennsylvania found that freshman students with
127. 12:19higher optimism scores okay actually performed  better academically than those with higher SAT
128. 12:25scores wait so positive outlook actually trumped  intelligence it seems so that's fascinating and I
129. 12:33think this speaks to the power of self wearers if  you're able to manage your reactions to challenges
130. 12:37to bounce back from setbacks you're more likely  to persevere and ultimately succeed that's
131. 12:44encouraging so it's not just about being cheerful  all the time it's about understanding how your
132. 12:49emotional state affects your performance okay and  then using that knowledge to your advantage that
133. 12:55makes a lot of sense yeah and there's another  fascinating benefit of self-a awareness that I
134. 13:00think you'll find intriguing okay it's that it can  help you achieve what's called a flow State Flow
135. 13:05State what's that flow state is that feeling of  complete absorption in an activity okay where you
136. 13:12lose track of time right and become fully immersed  in the moment I think I know what I mean it's that
137. 13:17feeling of being in the zone yeah like when I'm  writing or working on a creative project exactly
138. 13:23time just seems to disappear and I'm totally  focused and research suggests that self-awareness
139. 13:28is a key ingredient in achieving and maintaining  this Flow State oh wow so how does that work how
140. 13:33does self-awareness help us get into that flow  State well when you're self-aware you're more
141. 13:38attuned to your internal State your energy levels  your focus you're able to recognize when you're
142. 13:45getting distracted when you need a break when you  need to push yourself a little harder and this
143. 13:50allows you to adjust your approach and optimize  your performance it's almost like self-awareness
144. 13:57gives you the owner's manual to your own mind  I love that analogy so you can fine-tune it
145. 14:02for Peak Performance and here's the amazing part  Flow State isn't just about feeling good real it's
146. 14:09actually linked to Mastery in any field athletes  artists musicians entrepreneurs they all describe
147. 14:17this feeling of flow as essential to their success  so it's not just a coincidence no there's a real
148. 14:23connection between self-awareness Flow State and  achieving Peak Performance there absolutely is
149. 14:29and it's something we can all cultivate this is  all so fascinating but let's bring it back down
150. 14:33to earth for a moment for someone listening  to this may be feeling a little overwhelmed
151. 14:36mhm where's a good starting point for actually  developing self-awareness that's a great question
152. 14:41and you know sometimes the simplest approaches are  the most effective okay remember Dr brazelton's
153. 14:47test with the baby in the blocks I don't think  so refresh my memory it was a simple test of a
154. 14:53baby's outlook on life Dr Brazelton would give  a baby two blocks okay and then show them how to
155. 14:59put the blocks together oh what happened well the  optimistic babies yeah the ones with confidence
156. 15:07in their own abilities okay would explore the  blocks play with them even drop them off the
157. 15:11table to see if someone would pick them up they  were engaged and curious oh that's cute so even in
158. 15:17infancy there are signs of self-awareness yes of  that connection to one's own feelings and actions
159. 15:23exactly and while we may not all be playing with  blocks anymore that same spirit of exploration
160. 15:30of curiosity about our inner World okay that's a  great starting point for developing self-awareness
161. 15:35so instead of trying to force ourselves into some  rigid self-improvement mold yeah we can approach
162. 15:40self-awareness with a sense of playfulness I like  that of exploration hey what's going on in here
163. 15:46let's find out I love that because ultimately  self-awareness is a journey not a destination
164. 15:53it's about cultivating that ongoing curiosity  about yourself your emotions your motivations
165. 15:59it's a lifelong process of self-discovery so  instead of beating ourselves up for our mistakes
166. 16:05or emotional slip-ups right we can view them as  opportunities for learning and growth absolutely
167. 16:12every experience every emotion offers a chance to  understand yourself a little bit better that's a
168. 16:17great perspective shift and there are specific  techniques that can help you delve deeper into
169. 16:23those experiences absolutely one powerful approach  is journaling ah journaling classic but effective
170. 16:30it does sound a bit old school maybe how does that  actually help with self- awareness it's simpler
171. 16:35than you might think but incredibly effective take  some time each day to write down your thoughts and
172. 16:40feelings okay don't censor yourself just let  it flow so it's not about writing a perfect
173. 16:46diary entry no not at all it's more about getting  those thoughts and feelings out of your head and
174. 16:51onto paper exactly and as you do this regularly  yeah you might start to notice patterns in your
175. 16:57thinking interesting triers for certain emotions  or recurring themes in your life huh it's like
176. 17:02creating a map of your inner landscape I like  that analogy it can be really revealing it's
177. 17:07like you're becoming an archaeologist of your own  emotion exactly uncovering the hidden layers and
178. 17:12connections and as you become more familiar with  your own internal terrain yeah you'll be better
179. 17:18equipped to navigate those challenging moments  and make choices that align with your values
180. 17:23and goals this is all starting to make a lot of  sense but before we move on sure I'm curious to
181. 17:28hear hear more about this self- science curriculum  you mentioned earlier oh yes can you tell us more
182. 17:33about how they teach emotional intelligence to  children it's truly an Innovative program at
183. 17:39the Neva School they've integrated emotional  intelligence into their Core Curriculum wow
184. 17:45teaching kids these essential skills from a young  age that's remarkable what do they do have kids
185. 17:51sit in a circle and talk about their feelings it's  actually quite structured and age appropriate for
186. 17:57example with younger children they might use  a scale of 1 to 10 to help them identify and
187. 18:01communicate their emotions so instead of a child  throwing a tantrum because they're frustrated
188. 18:07right they might say I'm feeling an eight right  now because it it gives them a language to express
189. 18:11their inner world I can see how that would be  helpful which is incredibly powerful yeah and you
190. 18:16know research shows that this kind of emotional  poaching from parents and Educators early on
191. 18:22okay has significant long-term benefits for  children makes sense I'm picturing parents asking
192. 18:29are you feeling a three or a seven angry right now  right let's talk about it precisely it helps kids
193. 18:35identify and label their emotions and then find  healthy ways to manage them instead of reacting
194. 18:41impulsively right they learn to pause reflect yeah  and choose a more constructive response that's a
195. 18:48valuable skill that can benefit them throughout  their lives absolutely and it all starts with that
196. 18:53Foundation of self-awareness right that ability  to tune into their own inner experience yeah
197. 18:59and understand how their emotions impact their  actions and interactions this is all so inspiring
198. 19:05I'm already feeling motivated to incorporate some  of these techniques into my own life that's great
199. 19:08to hear but before we wrap up this part of our  exploration I want to leave our listeners with
200. 19:13something to ponder okay how can you start paying  attention to your own emotions in a more conscious
201. 19:19and intentional way that's a great question  for all of us to consider we'll be back in part
202. 19:25two to delve even deeper into this essential  pill pillar of emotional intelligence [Music]