The two days of Life Class were a great opportunity to understand myself, my emotions and my interactions with others better.

One of the most important learnings from Day 1 was understanding the Amygdala Hijack and the biological process behind our emotional responses. It helped me understand why, in certain situations, we may react before we have had the chance to think. More importantly, I learned the importance of recognising when I am experiencing an amygdala hijack and pausing before responding. We also explored our workplace triggers, which helped me reflect on situations that may affect me and how I can prepare myself to respond differently.

We also learned about the five components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation, empathy and people skills. This made me reflect on how these skills influence the way we manage ourselves and connect with others.

Day 2 brought equally interesting learnings. We explored delayed gratification through the Marshmallow Test and understood how delaying immediate pleasure can help us manage stress, situations and decisions better in the long run.

We also learned about giving effective feedback using the SBI model: Situation, Behaviour and Impact, rather than relying only on the traditional sandwich feedback approach. Another key learning was Google’s research on effective teams and the importance of psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning and impact.

My favourite activity was the Johari Window, conducted through the two-mask activity. It was interesting to see how our perception of ourselves can sometimes be different from how others perceive us.

Overall, these two days reminded me of the importance of self-awareness, pausing before reacting, understanding others and continuously working on myself. The concepts were simple, practical and something I can carry into my everyday life.