Wellbeing column: What feelings does studying evoke in you?

Learning is often seen as a rational process based solely on reason and thinking. However, emotions guide our actions and change the functioning of our mind, both in studies and in other areas of life – whether we are aware of it or not. So, it's worth paying attention to your emotions!

A calm mind and pleasant emotions expand thinking. Creativity blossoms and we are able to see more opportunities. Strong emotions narrow thinking, because attention is strongly directed to the issue that aroused the emotion. If your mind fills with excitement after you have just booked a holiday, it will be difficult to concentrate on studying. Or if something your friend does makes you angry, it's hard to think of anything else.

Emotional regulation is an important skill for both studying and personal well-being. Without emotional regulation, we jump from the driver's seat to the back seat in our own lives. The emotion takes over the driver’s seat and starts to control our actions: anger can lead us to yell at someone close to us, fear can make us give up an important goal, and enthusiasm can make us focus all our energy on one thing and forget about the rest.

Emotions cannot be controlled. We can't choose not to feel nervous before a job interview or annoyed when faced with a tricky task. What can we do about our emotions?

The first step is to stop and notice who is currently driving the car of our lives. We can practice recognizing emotions: what is happening in me right now? What is this feeling? What kind of thoughts do I notice? If the mind is restless, writing or speaking out loud can help clarify what's going on in your mind.

Emotions can also be noticed through the body: how is my body feeling right now? Does anxiety squeeze the chest, do the hands tingle with excitement? Movement can help awaken a mind that has fallen into boredom and, on the other hand, calm a body that is overexcited with anxiety. This can mean rolling your shoulders, walking in the woods or doing a few X-jumps.

When you practice being aware of your own emotions, you have the opportunity to get back behind the wheel and choose your own direction: what do I need right now? What do I want to focus on next?