Understanding and managing our emotions is essential for navigating life’s ups and downs. Our emotions can shape how we respond to challenges, build relationships, and handle stress.
In this blog, we’ll explore why emotional intelligence matters, and how our new Managing Emotions workshop empowers women with practical tools to maintain emotional balance in everyday life.
What Does ‘Managing Emotions’ Mean?
Managing our emotions is about building emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management—which helps us handle stress, communicate clearly, strengthen relationships, and make better decisions.
Societal pressures often invalidate women’s emotional experiences, with studies showing that women labelled “emotional” during disagreements have their arguments rated as less legitimate than men’s. This workshop, designed by the brilliant Anna Perrett, addresses these challenges and empowers women to take control of their emotions.
But Why Does It Matter?
We’re often taught to hide how we feel— “don’t cry,” “keep calm,” or “just grin and bear it.” But constantly suppressing emotions isn’t harmless. It can take a toll on both mental and physical health.
When we bottle things up, it doesn’t make the feelings go away. Instead, this self-silencing can lead to anxiety, chronic pain, and even autoimmune diseases. Women, in particular, are at higher risk of these issues, partly because of societal expectations to always be agreeable and selfless, rather than expressing how we really feel.
Managing emotions isn’t about bottling up your feelings or pretending they don’t exist—it’s about learning how to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively. Emotions like anger can motivate us to take action for positive change, while sadness, when processed in a healthy way, can support emotional healing.
What the Workshop Covers
Our Managing Emotions workshop explores key tools like:
- The Window of Tolerance: Learn to recognise when you’re coping well versus when stress takes over, leading to fight, flight, or freeze responses.
- The Circle of Control: Understand what you can control, what you can influence, and what’s best to let go of—like other people’s reactions.
- Permission to Feel: Techniques like the RULER method help you name, understand, and regulate emotions.
- Traffic Light Strategy: A simple way to pause, assess, and respond instead of reacting in the moment.
The Life-Changing Benefits of Emotional Intelligence
By building emotional intelligence, members can gain a deeper understanding of themselves, helping them respond thoughtfully to challenges and improve their resilience in daily life.
Emotional intelligence doesn’t just enhance personal well-being—it can also improve workplace communication and relationships, creating more meaningful connections. This workshop gives women the skills to manage emotions in a way that feels authentic and balanced.
What Can You Do Now?
Support us in delivering more life-changing workshops by fundraising or volunteering. Businesses can also partner with us through corporate sponsorship to amplify our impact.
Together, we can empower even more women to thrive.
