Socio-emotional education: Neuroeducation & Coaching.

By Gise Lopez

The word emotion comes from the Latin verb emovere, which means to move, which makes us think that each emotion leads us directly to an action. This action/reaction can be moving away from or getting closer to a stimulus, person or situation. Then, we can link our body with a specific type of behaviour directly related to registering and expressing a particular emotion.

The environment in which any teaching-learning experience occurs (not only in the school environment) must consider that emotions are present. Children, youth and adults are all social beings with primary and secondary emotions. CEREBRUM specialists explain to us how emotions are subdivided:

Primary emotions:

Those that do not need to connect with consciousness or cognition are present in animals and humans. Six primary emotions have been described: joy, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and aversion (disgust).

Secondary emotions:

Also known as learned emotions, they are connected with consciousness and that act with cognitive participation. Unlike primary emotions, they are present only in humans and result from a joint effort of cortical and subcortical brain structures. One can name jealousy, envy, resentment, anxiety, acceptance, contempt, etc.

Ignoring how our brains work in relation to emotions and how this connects to our learning or daily behaviours leaves us acting like an aeroplane on autopilot. A bumper cart inside an amusement park only changes direction when colliding with another. It does not anticipate, prepare, or decide the force of the shock; it just waits for the shock and reacts.

If we are children, adults (parents and teachers) are called to validate our emotions, not judge or criticize them. They should help us name them and understand what we feel as an expression of having received a stimulus so that our brain stores successful episodes and healthy memories that we can evoke when said emotion appears again. Remember that children are not adults in little bodies; children are human beings in maturation and formation without life experience. A lot of what they do is because they learned it from us. They imitate us.

Whether young or adults, we can and should reflect daily on our actions and reactions. Search, in some cases with professional help, what triggers that reaction that pleases or bothers us; Let's identify the causes to work on them. Also, remember to give our nervous system spaces of balance and calm through conscious breathing and/or meditation exercises. A nervous system in a state of permanent alert reacts without filtering responses or inhibiting impulses. It will be difficult for us to help or understand our children or students in this state. On the other hand, a "closed" or balanced nervous system allows us to listen, organize ideas and then respond.

Food for thought:

1. Let's take prominence and presence over our decisions and reactions every day of our lives. Remember that there is a direct connection between Thought - Emotion - Action. We have often heard the statement: we are what we think. Science confirms that idea.
2. As much as we want to talk about our emotions, suppress or disguise them, we won't make it. Who we should talk to is our mind, our thoughts, manage them, replace them and evolve; decide and choose what will enter our life minute by minute through the senses and therefore fill our mind.
3. We have acquired many thoughts from the environment in which we have grown up. However, as we grow and expand our knowledge, we face these beliefs and the new reality. These limiting beliefs often cause us to interpret reality with unnecessary bias or prejudice. Let's examine our timeline and see how much of our decisions are based on a toxic emotional charge. We may need professional help to calibrate our criteria of reality and thus transform our vision.

"Emotions are real, the product of a brain in constant activity and interaction with the environment." CEREBRUM 2022

Good Luck! One day at a time.