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How to Deal With Your Emotions
By Dr. Shahana Alibhai, originally published in Dr. Alibhai’s Blog on August 29, 2022
An emotion is neither good nor bad. They are a part of our lives.
Most of us consider 'being too emotional' as a bad thing because society has taught us to numb our emotions instead of expressing them. We perceive emotions, like happiness and joy, as good and other emotions, like sadness, anger, as bad. However, we are not helping ourselves by categorizing emotions.
In my experience, I've come to learn that emotions are neither good nor bad. They just feel that way. They are a part of our lives.
We need to embrace that life can be challenging, difficult, and incredibly hard sometimes, which leads to uncomfortable or negative emotions. But we should understand what those emotions are trying to tell us. And that's how we learn the power and value of these emotions.
What are negative emotions?
The emotions that make us feel bad in one way or another are considered negative emotions: fear, anger, sadness, despair, guilt, frustration, shame, disappointment, disgust. We all feel these emotions. And whether you acknowledge them or not, they are there.
In the 1970s, psychologist Paul Eckman identified six basic emotions: Sadness, happiness, disgust, surprise, fear and anger. And four out of six fall into the 'negative' category.
In 1980, Psychologist Robert Plutchik identified eight basic emotions: sadness, joy, trust, disgust, anger, fear, surprise and anticipation. Again, four of these eight might be considered negative.
While negative emotions may feel bad, they're not so bad for us after all.
Reasons why negative emotions are not that bad
As a child, I would suppress all 'bad' emotions. But by the time I hit my teenage years, I had built a thick emotional wall that kept me safe from any pain of vulnerability. And later I realized that:
They are Normal
In a world where we are encouraged to be grateful and happy, perhaps we are doing ourselves a disservice by not talking that negative emotions are a natural and unavoidable part of life. Experiencing different 'moods' is all part of being a human.
They Inspire Action
What happens when you get really angry? You take action. Anger has been used throughout history as a positive catalyst for change. When someone is unreasonable to you, you feel angry. And you can harness that anger to stand up and correct the situation. Negative emotions motivate you to solve problems, be productive and stand up for what you believe in.
They Build Resilience
The more you experience the range of emotions, the more resilient you become to dealing with them. Because when you face negative emotions, you learn effective coping skills. You feel stronger and more capable of dealing with them in the future.
Feeling your emotions is a form of inner reflection. Just like going to the gym allows you to build your body, feeling your emotions shapes your mentality. So, next time you feel something, feel it to your core.
Do not resist your feelings. Let it wash over you because, in the end, that is how we can find inner peace and compassion for ourselves.
Dr. Shahana Alibhai, MD, CCFP, is a professional speaker, family physician and mental health expert. She has worked with a multitude of organizations to help people gain more clarity into their own mental health. Her insights are highly sought after and she’s been featured in multiple major media including CTV and Global. She is best known for her “Emotional Literacy for Better Mental Health” TEDx talk and as a panelist at International Women’s Day. She has served on the UBC Faculty of Medicine Residency training program and is currently a National accreditor for the College of Canadian Family Physicians.
Learn more from Dr. Alibhai as she delivers the afternoon plenary on Think Better – How to Train Your Brain to Thrive and Cope with Stress at our upcoming PD Nexus – Public Practice Insights on November 22nd.
Become the Virtual Presentation Expert
After over two years of predominantly virtual work and online meetings, we are starting to realize that some people are clearly more adept at being able to engage an audience sitting behind an electronic screen. And while in-person meetings and events are increasingly making a comeback, virtual presentations will likely continue to play large part in our professional lives. As such, delivering effective virtual presentations will be a critical professional development skill.
Here are some skills to consider in your journey to becoming an optimal virtual presenter.
Understand the differences between in-person and virtual presentations, and identify the elements of good virtual presentations
The importance of audience engagement is greatly heightened with virtual presentations – for one thing, it is much easier for your audience to either partially or completely walk away in the middle of one. There’s also the element of disconnect – by not being in the same room as the presenter and other attendees, audiences don’t feel as invested in the presentation. This is why you have to design and deliver a virtual presentation much differently than an in-person one. And the first step is to be able to identify all the elements of a successful virtual presentation. Here are 15 best practices to consider when presenting virtually.
Become technically savvy
Or at least, become comfortable with it. Nothing is worse than a presenter who spends time fumbling around meeting settings, or takes up presentation time trying to figure out their camera and sound. You risk losing your audience almost immediately that way. Be prepared. Take the time to ensure all your technical requirements are in place ahead of time. Do a short practice run – but keep in mind to do this where the actual presentation will be delivered if possible to avoid surprises on the day itself. You may also be surprised at how much more engaging your virtual presentation can be with a better camera angle and appropriate lighting.
Optimize your message, content, and design
Instructional design involves all the elements that come together to produce instructional or presentation material. This is beyond improving your knowledge in PowerPoint, it considers content, messaging, layout and other methods or media that are widely known to help individuals absorb information most effectively. Good instructional design delivers a far more engaging and enriching experience for the audience, while also getting your points across clearly. Elements of instructional design such as visuals and auditory are especially crucial to virtual presentations.
Practice your delivery skills
Consider delivery elements like eye contact and your voice – while these are important to any format of presentation, they are even more critical for virtual ones. Remember, you have to work a lot harder to capture and retain your audience’s attention. Practice delivering in the right amount of energy, and don’t forget to present an engaging and welcoming posture. Try to keep the engagement going as a two-way street by asking questions or requesting feedback, incorporating polls or quizzes, or some interactive activity.
If you’re looking for a professional development that will build your skills in all the areas above, you may be interested in the Virtual Presentation Design & Delivery Certificate Program. Watch the presenter Garth Sheriff describe the benefits of attending the program.
A Microsoft MVP and a leading expert in Excel, Power Query, and Power BI
Meet Ken Puls, FCPA, FCMA, a world respected speaker, trainer, author, blogger and community leader when it comes to self-service business intelligence using Microsoft tools.
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With over 20 years of corporate accounting and IT experience behind him, Ken founded Excelguru Consulting Inc. and Skillwave.Training whose goals are to help users get the most out of Microsoft Excel and Power BI. An expert in his field, Ken has received many accolades including the prestigious Microsoft MVP award, which he has been re-awarded each year since 2006.
Learn from Ken at one of his virtual online seminars on An End to Manual Effort in Excel: The Power Query Effect, Creating Financial Statements in Excel Power Pivot, Creating Vibrant Dashboards, DAX Formulas for PowerPivot, Getting Started with Excel Power Pivot, Intro-Mediate Excel Techniques, Optimizing Data for Power Pivot Using Power Query or in-person seminars on Creating Vibrant Dashboards and Rapid Dashboard Development with Power BI Desktop
With an average instructor rating of 4.7 out of 5, here is what past participants have to say about their seminar experience with Ken:
“One of the best instructors for excel courses ever. I've taken quite a few CPA excel courses and Ken Puls was clear, consistent, captivating, and extremely effective at delivering the courses.”
“Still the most efficient and engaging seminar leader of all times to me. Ken never disappoints. Always learning so much in one single session”
“Excellent presenter, professional…he was superb, enthusiastic, open to questions, and eloquent!”
“Ken is an excellent presenter in terms of both knowledge of the subject matter and also presentation style.”
Reminder
Your Fall/Winter 2022-23 PD Catalogue is ready for you to view online.
Create a path on your lifelong learning journey and learn about PD’s new initiatives such as our three new certificate programs, two new PD series and other new exciting titles to help you meet your learning needs.Did You Know?
We are holding our first in-person PD Nexus Day in three years!