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In school, we learned the periodic table and were told to recite the alphabet, but nobody forced us to take a class on what emotions are and how they work before we entered the big world. And for many of us, that means understanding how we feel and why can be incredibly difficult.

Yet, research shows that being aware of your emotions is hugely beneficial and people with high emotional awareness have better social and emotional functioning. In layman's terms, that can translate as being able to predict your emotions and develop coping mechanisms in advance, becoming wise to unhealthy behavior patterns, and even being more in tune with the needs of others.

"Emotional awareness is being able to identify and make sense of not only our own emotions but those of others. It's absolutely essential in maintaining good mental health," explains Rachel Vora, psychotherapist and founder of CYP Wellbeing. "When we are able to identify and reflect on our emotional responses, we can understand how this influences our behaviors and in turn, change the way we respond to challenging situations."

Of course, pinpointing how we feel can often prove difficult. It's the very reason we turn to general phrases like "I feel blue" or "I'm not myself today". Vora says thisis often because on some level we don't want to know how we really feel. "We can often try to numb (使麻木), suppress or avoid emotions because they feel overwhelming or distressing and this can often lead to a lack of emotional awareness as we feel disconnected from ourselves," she explains.

Without emotional awareness, we can also develop emotional blind spots: unhealthy thoughts, behaviors and coping mechanisms that are hidden from our view. Perhaps you may feel self-doubt when you receive negative feedback. Unless you take time for introspection (反省), you'll remain unaware of these habits. Vora says tuning into your emotions and honestly reflecting on how you feel is key. "By identifying our emotional blind spots, we can feel more in control of our emotions, how to improve our mood and also how we respond in challenging situations."