How To Deal With Difficult Emotions Especially For Teens

Emotions: Positive vs. Negative
Emotions (feelings) are a natural and necessary aspect of life.

Positive feelings exist. Consider the words “contentment,” “joy,” “interest,” “curiosity,” “excitement,” “gratitude,” “love,” and “contentment.” These favourable feelings make you feel good. Sadness, anger, loneliness, jealousy, self-criticism, fear, and rejection are all negative feelings that can be difficult, if not painful, to deal with.

This is especially true when we experience a negative emotion too frequently, too forcefully, or for too long.

Negative feelings, on the other hand, are unavoidable. They affect everyone from time to time. They may be challenging, but we can learn to deal with them.

How To Deal With Difficult Emotions Especially For Teens

Here are three steps to dealing with unpleasant emotions.

Step 1: Recognize the Feeling

It takes time and practise to become aware of and identify your emotions. Check in with your body in addition to focusing on your sentiments. With certain emotions, you may experience body sensations such as your face being hot or your muscles stiff.

Be conscious of your emotions. When you’re experiencing a bad emotion, such as rage, try to put a name to it.

For instance,

the man Ian in my study group irritates me tremendously!

When I see that girl/guy with my ex, I’m envious.

When I have to walk past those bullies, I am nervous.

Don’t keep your feelings hidden from yourself. You might not want to share your emotions with others (like your ex, for example, or that guy in your study group who is making you mad). However, don’t completely repress your emotions. It’s much better to just name the emotion than to pretend it doesn’t exist — or to explode without thinking.

Understand why you are feeling the way you are. Determine what happened to make you feel the way you do.

For example,

whenever we work on a group project, Ian always finds a way to claim credit for everyone else’s work.

Despite the fact that he never offers his own ideas, our teacher considers Ian to be the team’s star.

It reminds me that I still have feelings for my ex when I witness him/her flirting with other people.

Even if the bullies do not target me, I am concerned about what they do to others.

Don’t hold anything against me. Recognizing and explaining your feelings isn’t the same as blaming someone or something for how you’re feeling. Your ex is unlikely to pursue a new relationship as a means of retaliating against you, and the man who takes credit for your work may not even understand what he’s doing. It is up to you to determine how you feel when these things occur. Your emotions are there to assist you in making sense of what’s going on.
Accept that all of your feelings are normal and understandable. Don’t berate yourself for the emotions you’re experiencing. It’s natural to experience them. Don’t be too hard on yourself; acknowledging how you feel can help you move on.

Step 2: Get to Work

You can decide if you need to communicate your emotion after you’ve processed what you’re feeling. Sometimes just recognising how you feel is enough, but other times you’ll want to take action to feel better.

Consider the finest manner to express your feelings. Is it necessary for you to gently confront someone else at this time? Why not talk to a buddy about how you’re feeling? Or go for a run to get rid of the feeling?

For example,

expressing my rage to Ian will do nothing and may possibly make him feel superior! But my gut tells me that I should stay away from another situation where he takes command of a project.

I’ll keep my head held high around my ex, then turn on some sad music and have a good weep in my room to help me express my emotions and let go.

My aversion to being in the company of those bullies indicates that they have gone too far. Maybe I should talk to a school counsellor about what’s going on.

Discover how to alter your mood. You’ll wish to change your mood from negative to positive at some point. Otherwise, your mind may become hooked on how horrible things are, causing you to feel much worse. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to do things that make you happy. After a breakup, you may not feel like going out, but going for a stroll or seeing a funny movie with friends can help you get out of that funk.

Create an optimistic mindset. Positive emotions contribute to a feeling of happiness and well-being. Make it a habit to notice and focus on the positive aspects of your life – even small things like your father’s compliments for your work on his bookcases or how delicious the salad you made for lunch tastes. Even when you’re in a foul mood, noticing the wonderful things might help you adjust your emotional balance from negative to positive.
Seek assistance. Talk to a parent, a trustworthy adult, or a friend about how you’re feeling. They can assist you in exploring your emotions and providing you with new perspectives. Nothing makes you feel more understood and cared for than someone who loves you for who you are.

Exercise. Physical activity stimulates the production of natural chemicals in the brain that create a good mood. Exercise can also help you release stress and avoid becoming mired in unpleasant emotions.

Step 3: Seek Counseling for Difficult Emotions

You can’t always get rid of a difficult emotion, no matter what you do. If you’ve been feeling sad or worried for more than a couple of weeks, or if you’re so upset that you think you might hurt yourself or others, you may require additional assistance.

Speak with a counsellor at school, a parent, a trustworthy adult, or a therapist. Counselors and therapists are educated on how to help people overcome their bad feelings. They can offer a variety of suggestions and ideas to help you feel better.