Emotions and Behaviours
We can build resilience through our emotions and how we handle them. We experience many different emotions on a daily basis. Sometimes these emotions can be a bit overwhelming. It is important to recognise what emotions we are feeling and how to manage them. Some emotions that you could be feeling are:
Anxiety
Anxiety can come in many forms; social anxiety, health anxiety, panic disorders or phobias. Anxiety usually comes from overthinking or worrying about something we feel we can’t control, whether it is school, friendships or illnesses. Anxiety can be really difficult to deal with and sometimes people can have panic attacks, or even become scared of leaving the house.
Depression
Sadness is an emotion we all feel, but sometimes sadness goes on for too long and becomes too deep. This can mean you stop enjoying things that you used to, you might feel like you are worthless, or like you are the only one in the world going through what you are feeling.
Grief
This is the emotion that we feel when we have lost someone or something close to us. This could be a person or an animal. It is okay to grieve as it can help you come to terms with what has happened and adapt to how life will be in the future.
Anger
We usually feel anger if something has annoyed us or made us “lose our cool.” It is a normal emotion to have but it is important to express anger in the right way otherwise things can get damaged and people can get hurt.
Behaviours
Our behaviours are how we express and deal with these emotions. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell someone how you are feeling so you end up bottling up your emotions. This is not healthy and can lead to problems later on in life.
Think of it like a can of fizzy drink. If you shake that can but keep it closed and “bottled up” then it causes pressure in the can that means that as soon as it’s open, it will explode everywhere. This is what can happen with your emotions too. If you do not deal with them properly and keep everything to yourself then eventually, all of those emotions will come pouring out. This can have a bad effect on your friendships and relationships with people, because you might say things that you don’t mean when these emotions start to explode. How we deal with our emotions is what helps us to become more resilient. Here are some top tips about healthy behaviours that can help you deal with your emotions in a healthy way:
Talk to someone
It’s okay to admit that you are not okay. Talk to someone who you trust and will listen to you, this could be a friend, parent, teacher or doctor. Talking about your emotions is one of the best steps to becoming more resilient because you’ve identified how you feel and are willing to share that with someone you trust. This doesn’t have to be just about negative feelings either, don’t be scared to talk about the good feelings too. If you are feeling happy, excited, grateful or even awkward, let someone know. Once you open up, you’ll be surprised how many people can relate to what you’re feeling.
Do Something Physical
This could be anything from going for a walk, to playing sports, to even just squeezing a stress ball. Exercise isn’t just good for your body it’s also good for your brain, it can help with symptoms of depression, anger, anxiety and even ADHD. And it doesn’t need to cost you anything if you don’t want it to!
Be Creative
Sometimes it can be hard to find the right words to express your emotions, so why not channel them into something creative? You could write about your feelings in a diary, use painting or drawing to release emotions, play a musical instrument, bake a cake or join a creative club like woodwork. This can give you something positive to focus on and release your stress.
Relaxation and Mindfulness
There are techniques that you can use that are proven to calm the mind. One of these techniques is called 7/11 where you simply breathe in for 7 seconds and out for 11 seconds. This lowers your heart rate and can make you feel less anxious. For more mindfulness tricks head to our top coping tips page.
Comfort and distract yourself
Everyone needs comforting sometimes, especially when your emotions seem like they are too much to handle. You could do simple things like take a bath, cuddle a pet, listen to your favourite music or watch your favourite film. It’s okay to spend time focusing on you.
Watch George’s story about how he learnt to deal with stress
Helplines
If you are worried about problems such as domestic abuse or suicidal thoughts it is always best to talk to someone.
Domestic Abuse Services is a site that tells you where and how you can access help if you are worried about abuse. It has helplines that you can contact 24/7. Someone is always there to talk to.
If you are having suicidal thoughts then you can contact the Samaritans at any time free of charge on 116 123. Although you may be feeling alone, there is always someone that can help you through it.