The Emotional Jug: A Tool for Self-Awareness

We’re all human and we all have emotions – good and bad – but the key is being able to identify our emotions as we are feeling them.

This week I had the honor of speaking on a panel for Rush University Nursing Students. The topic was Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and I sat alongside Robert Gramillano, Julie Benesh, and Barbara Burgess. Participating on this panel was a wonderful reminder to me that to increase your EQ, you must practice self-awareness daily.

Experts and researchers go back and forth on which emotions are the most important to pay attention to. And, there is new research which says there are only four emotions. To me, it makes sense to simplify emotions into two categories: one that makes me feel good (joy) and one that makes me feel bad (fear).

The best tool that I use daily is the Emotional Jug. The Emotional Jug walks me through the process of identifying my emotions and provides healthy dialog for me to express them. The best part is that it incorporates appreciation and empathy in doing so (many of you know that appreciation is my FAVORITE part of Forum). We all need appreciation, validation and hugs so we know that we are heard and our emotions are being understood and communicated.

Have a joyful day,

Judy Hogel

Executive Director
Chicago Family Business Council