Mindfulness, Cultivating Emotional Balance & Social-Emotional Development Kelly Yi PhD Licensed Psychologist & Certified CEB Teacher Adaptable Human Solutions
My Background
Mindfulness As Lived Inquiry in Daily Life
What is SocialEmotional Development?
5 Social-Emotional Core Learning Competencies (CASEL) Self Awareness! Self Management! Social Awareness! Relationship Skills! Responsible Decision Making
Self Awareness The ability to accurately recognize one's emotions and thoughts and their impact on behavior! This includes assessing one's strengths and limitations and possessing a wellgrounded sense of optimism
Self Management The ability to manage one's emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations! This includes managing stress, controlling impulses, motivating oneself and setting and working toward achieving personal and academic goals
Social Awareness
The ability to take the perspective of others from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior, and to recognize family, school and community resources and supports
Relationship Skills The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups! This includes communicating clearly, listening actively, cooperating, resisting inappropriate social pressure, negotiating conflict constructively, and seeking/ offering help when needed
Responsible Decision Making The ability to make constructive and respectful choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on consideration of ethical standards, safety concerns, social norms, the realistic evaluation of consequences of various actions, and the well-being of self and others
Mindfulness What is it? !
How can it help cultivate these abilities?
“Paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment to moment..” -John Kabat Zinn
Mindfulness Exercise
How can mindfulness be used to cultivate Social-Emotional Development?
Cultivating Emotional Balance Program Originated from a dialogue sponsored by The Mind and Life Institute between the Dalai Lama and bio-behavioral scientists to see if secularized meditation practices could benefit individuals dealing with "destructive" emotional experiences! Combines secularized meditation practices with Western perspectives on the nature of emotions! Training was designed to reduce emotional responses that are destructive to self and others and enhance compassion and empathy! Seems particularly applicable to cultivating social-emotional development
4 Main Areas Emphasized Conative Balance! Attentional Balance! Cognitive Balance! Emotional Balance
Conative Balance
Conation has to do with one's intentions, desires, and aspirations! Conative balance emphasizes aligning one's behavior with one's most important intentions, desires and values
Attentional Balance Without being able to focus your attention where you want, it is difficult to carry out your desires! Concentration Practices! Mindfulness Practices
Cognitive Balance
Reducing excessive thinking and aligning one's thoughts to accurately reflect reality
Emotional Balance Being able to be aware of and regulate one's own emotions! Being able to accurately be aware of and work with others' emotions! Responding with skillful choice! Cultivation of LovingKindness, Compassion, Empathetic Joy, and Equanimity
Applying CEB to cultivate Social-Emotional Development Self Awareness/Self Management! Mindfulness of the Body & Senses! Mindfulness of Feelings! Mindfulness of Mental Events
Mindfulness of the Body Exercise for Kids (and adults)
Taking an Inner Vacation! Counting Breaths
Similar Exercises Can Be Used For Feelings and Emotions Internally
Labelling and speaking feelings or thoughts
How CEB differs from typical mindfulness trainings
Focus is not just on internal practices but also external and relational practices! Particularly applicable to Social-Emotional Development
Mindfulness Externally
Develops Social Awareness! Mindfulness of others' bodies, facial expressions, emotions and thoughts (perspective-taking)
7 Universal Emotions Happiness - deepen connection and co-operation! Anger - fight, remove obstacles! Sadness - be reassured, elicit connection and caring! Disgust - get rid of something poisonous or harmful! Surprise - focus attention to identify something! Fear - flight, escape from threat! Contempt - assert superiority!
! Have universal facial signals and some universal triggers! Each emotion family contains a theme, at least one universal trigger and variations on the emotional triggers of that family
Recognizing and Empathizing With Emotions in Others
Mindfulness Both Internally and Externally Develops Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision Making! Tracking the relationship between one's internal experience and other's experience! Finding ways of acting that serve the well-being of both
Loving-Kindness Meditation
