Emotions
happy? sad? worried? confused? guilty? anxious? miserable? excited? angry? embarrassed? scared? proud?
Sometimes we feel good, and sometimes we feel bad. Both kinds of feelings are normal.
We all enjoy good feelings but when we don’t like the way we are feeling, we don’t always know what to do about it.
Here is a plan that may help:
- ACCEPT your feelings. Say to yourself: “I am sad.” “I am frightened.” “I am angry.” “I am embarrassed.” It’s all right to have feelings.
- RELAX and take “time out” before you act. Take slow deep breaths and relax all the muscles of your body. Pretend you are in a nice place.
- THINK about ways to help yourself. Thinking helps you do something smart instead of harming yourself or making things worse.
- DO something to help yourself. Maybe it would help to talk to someone, or to do something you enjoy. If it doesn’t work, go back to step 3.
* The above material is borrowed from the book “Dealing With Feelings,” by Dr. Eric Dlugokinski. Published by Feelings Factory, Inc., Raleigh, NC.