"It's ok not to feel happy sometimes, but what is important is to regulate those unhappiness and identify what can actually turn the things around", said David Stanton, Senior Psychotherapist and Founder of Goa-based emotional awareness and well-being organization, Tatva, while addressing an intriguing session on 'Development of Emotional Intelligence in Colleges' in Jain (Deemed-to-be University).
Emotion, to a greater extent, influences human's action and the way we control it is where our individual power lies. Academia is one of such places where such human capabilities can be put to test and staffs and students alike can be guided to understand the value of their emotional intelligence. And to provide a scope for the students and faculty members to determine their level of emotional intelligence, Vishwas Counseling Center of Jain (Deemed-to-be University) in association with Tatva organized a session called 'Sankalp'.
This three-day session (August 24, 25 and 26), was a part of the Faculty Development initiatives and had two key speakers, David Stanton and Co-Creator of Tatva, Kripi Malviya, who eloquently spoke about the importance of emotional intelligence and how it can influence an individual’s personality.
A series of discussions were arranged during this event that featured not only interactive sessions but also short documentaries and presentations. The sessions effectively drew attention of the teachers and students to the integral aspects of human personality that we often tend to overlook, and which in fact can be extremely important for our personal development. The chief purpose of this initiative is to show the need for increased awareness of promoting emotional intelligence and good mental health among academies and achieve the highest standards of excellence for both staff and students.
"Your cognition affects your behavior. If you are anxious, you should learn how to manage that anxiety and behave accordingly. You can actually train your mind and that will affect your behavior", said Mr Santon, as he listed out key emotional intelligence skills in a presentation. He also said that although our perception and ideas are often affected by external forces but the ultimate power lies within us to dismantle all the shortcomings and bring stability back to our life.
Talking about the concept of destiny and the common views that people hold towards it, Kripi Malviya said that self-awareness is very important for every individual to rise above all apprehensions that often leave us in bits and feel confident to lead a life in one’s own way. She emphasized that it is important for everyone to understand the value of self-awareness which means, "I no longer give my power away to believing that things are happening to me. You basically turn this thing around and say that I am happening to things. It is very important to change that victim mentality. And I think that is one of the biggest thing in regard with personal development." She further added, "If you have emotional intelligence then you recognize how instrumental you are in your own life and how much freedom you have to make your own choice."
The emotional intelligence skills highlighted during the sessions included communication skills, behavioral skills, general attributes, self-management and also self-awareness. The speakers alluded to different quintessential scenarios where people are faced with challenges or opportunities and how their own intelligence helps them to handle the situation.
"You will never be perfect and life is a journey of personal development. The best thing to do is to care for yourself", said Mr Stanton as he stressed how important it is to practice empathy to understand oneself first and then others to build better relationships.
All human beings are unique in their distinguished way and what makes every individual stand out in this diverse society is their own distinctive attitude. This universe would have appeared mere dull had it not been these trillion shades of human attributes that make it look so rich and vibrant. Every individual holds unique perception and their ability to connect their views with others’ is where the significance of their emotional intelligence lies. The scientific reasoning also widely account for the fact that emotional intelligence is crucial to an individual's success – be it professional or personal.
Jain (Deemed-to-be University) that is persistently devoted to the development of human qualities and personality takes special effort in exploring avenues that can contribute significantly towards the development of the society as a whole. This initiative taken by the University reflects its commitment to look beyond curriculum and to equip staffs and students with key skills that will help them survive all challenges in life.
