Frustration, anger, sadness, anxiousness, loneliness, guilt and fear are all really hard emotions to manage. In fact a lot of adults have trouble with these feelings as well! Fortunately there are lots of things you can do to help you manage your emotions.
To process your emotions remember “CATS Distract”
Calm: Take some deep breaths and calm down first.
Art: Put your feelings on paper.
Talking: Tell someone from your circle of trust.
Sports: Move those emotions out!
Distract: Do something you enjoy.
Find your inner calm
Even taking a couple of deep breaths can help you calm down when your feelings threaten to overflow. You can also try meditating or doing yoga. Calm music, a warm bath, or a cuddle (with a loved one, a pet, or a favorite stuffy) are also great ways to feel better.
Put your feelings on paper
You can write, draw, or paint what you’re feeling. You could even make your feelings into a song or dance!
Talk about it
One of the most important things you can do is talk to someone about how you are feeling. Find some friends and family members (2-5 people) that you can trust and ask them to be part of your circle of trust. Ask them if it is OK for you to talk about anything with them, even difficult things, without them getting angry.
When you are dealing with something difficult, tell them you need a safe space to talk. You can even come up with a super cool codeword that lets them know you’re dealing with something difficult. Nothing is off limits to talk about in your circle of trust!
Even if you are feeling great right now you should start building your circle of trust so you know it is there when you need it.
Move those emotions out!
When you move you help your brain work better and you let out a lot of stress. Even crying can help you deal with a hard feeling!
Try exercising with sports, jumping jacks, walking/ running around, hugging a stuffed animal really tightly, or squeezing something over and over again in your hands.
Find a distraction
Emotions don’t just go away, and that is OK. Do anything you like to do so that you’re not thinking about the bad feeling. This could be listening to music, doing art, playing with friends, or reading a book. Distractions can give you a break from difficult emotions even if the distraction won’t make them go away forever.
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