How are you feeling?

In the work I'm doing with educators, we are supporting students in developing their awareness of their arousal levels and effective self-regulation strategies.  But I know that there are times when I don't do a great job of awareness of my own arousal levels and I don't always self-regulate.  There are times when people ask, "How are you?" and my automatic response is "Fine."  

Years ago I was going to my family doctor and he was going to send me for tests for some sort of gastrointestinal hernia due to all the pressure I had in my chest and throat.  He asked, "Could it be stress?'   

"Oh, no," I replied convinced that I was not that stressed.  

Then in July, when I was off work for the summer, all my symptoms instantly disappeared.  Hmmmm - the doctor knew I was stressed, my body was telling me I was stressed, and I had convinced myself that I wasn't stressed.  So when I'm working with young children and expecting them to notice and name their arousal level, I have to remember how hard it was for me to do that.

Another important point to keep in mind is that very seldom are we feeling just one emotion.  Prior to a presentation I may be alternating between excited, anxious, nervous, and confident.  Sometimes when we are asking students, "How are you feeling?" we need to understand that the answer they give us may not capture the full range of emotions.

from www.eslchestnut.com