The Missing Half of Metacognition: Thinking About Feelings

I recently been invited as a guest speaker to explore and share ideas around metacognition with fellow GP supervisors.

Traditionally, I think metacognition often refer to the “Thinking of thinking” but it’s also important to include the “Thinking of feelings”.

One can also frame this as the “Mindfulness of thinking, feelings/emotions”. Focused and engaged with our thoughts and feelings but not too fused/hyperfocused and not too detached/dissociated either. It’s the “sweet spot”.

In this mental state, the aim is to process the information and find the “Venn/intersection” of both thinking and feelings. I think this is especially important in healthcare as we have to deal with both “things” and feelings.

Hence the saying… 

Follow your head and take your heart with you OR for some…

Follow your heart but take your head with you. 

It’s a real challenge of course especially if there is a mismatch in the development of one’s “thinking” vs “feeling” abilities.