RULER March Newsletter
Creating emotionally intelligent school communities
Intro
As we continue to hone our RULER skills, we now move to L: labeling our emotions. When someone asks, “How are you feeling today?” many of us respond with "good," "fine," or perhaps "busy." Do these words truly represent how we feel? Imagine if everyone had a nuanced vocabulary for their emotions. Pinpointing the specific word that explains how we feel is not always an easy task, but doing so helps us identify strategies that can help us better manage them.
Pro Tip
We know that naming our emotions helps us manage them. Begin by setting aside a few minutes daily for self-reflection. Ask yourself, “What specific emotion am I feeling right now?” Look beyond generic responses and try to identify the exact word. Start with familiar terms like “joyful,” “grateful,” or “frustrated.” Then, challenge yourself by exploring less common feeling words like “elated,” “apprehensive,” or “exasperated.” Explore emotion words and definitions on the How We Feel app or the Mood Meter on RULER Online to add more words to your vocabulary. Recognizing our pleasantness and energy levels and understanding why we feel a certain way often can lead us to find the word that best describes precisely how we feel. Over time, this practice will not only enhance our emotional well-being but also help us label and manage our emotions in the moment with confidence.
RULER Webinars
RULER Implementation Conference
Dealing with Feelings Webcast
Check Out the New "Dealing with Feelings" Podcast
Go deeper with emotional skills with Dr. Brackett’s new webcast, “Dealing with Feelings.” Discover practical ways to improve your relationship with emotions and learn proven regulation strategies for greater well-being through conversations with prominent scientists, actors, authors, musicians, sports figures, and other notable personalities.
Catch new episodes every two weeks on Dr. Brackett's YouTube channel, with snippets shared across Instagram, X., LinkedIn, and Facebook.
The Latest Research
Understanding students' emotional experiences is crucial as these feelings impact their motivation, well-being, and academic success. In a national study with over 20,000 high school students, our researchers shed light on the emotions experienced by 9th-12th graders during school hours. Results revealed that 74% of reported feelings were negative, with 'tired,' 'stressed,' and 'bored' as the top three. How are your students feeling? Educators are the architects of supportive classrooms where emotions are acknowledged, understood, and embraced. Encouraging a nuanced vocabulary (e.g., distinguishing anxiety vs. worry, jealousy vs. envy, guilt vs. shame) can help students to identify and label their emotions accurately. Educators can also lead by example. Incorporate emotional vocabulary in daily interactions, like “I am feeling stressed about meeting a deadline,” to normalize emotional expression and empower students to do the same.
Upcoming RULER Training
Do you know of a school interested in starting RULER, or do you have a team at your school that would benefit from a refresher? Our training sessions tend to fill up quickly, so please act soon.
Applications are processed on a rolling basis until the training is at capacity.
*Please note that the March 18 - 19 training session at Yale is full. Please consider applying to the May 2024 session.
In the News
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