What are feelings? They are the way we react to a person, situation, thought, thing or event. We all have different feelings every day of our life and we all deal with them in different ways.
If our thoughts are negative, we may feel:
- Sad
- Upset
- Angry
- Depressed
- Anxious
- Nervous
- Frightened
- Lonely
- Afraid
If our thoughts are positive, we may feel:
- Happy
- Excited
- Cheerful
- Love!
Sometimes our feelings can be really strong and difficult for us to deal with. The same can be said for dealing with the feelings of other people around us. We may get physical signs if we are having negative thoughts - increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, or we may cry. And have you ever had butterflies in your stomach? This can happen when we’re nervous, scared, angry, or even when we fancy someone! It’s thought that it’s caused by an increase of adrenaline in our body.
Sometimes feelings can also cause problems with others, like anger.
Check it out: Showing Feelings
Like anger, it can be easy to tell how someone is feeling by their:-
- Body language
- Voice
- Language
- Tone
- Actions
- Facial expressions
Everyone has feelings - but some people may hide them away or just not want to show them. This can be because:-
- They don’t want to share private stuff about themselves
- They might be worried about other people’s reactions
- They are afraid to because there may be consequences to letting you know how they feel
Some people show their emotions easily and others might think that males or females should express them in different ways.
And did you know that crying can be good for you? Tears contain chemicals that can build up and cause tension! A study done in the USA showed that men and women who show their emotions with laughing and crying, actually enjoy better physical and emotional health - far fewer had stomach ulcers or had been treated for mental health problems!
So go on, have a cry - it might make you feel better!
Emotions and periods
Some young women can experience mood swings and discomfort in their lower tummy a few days before their periods - it’s called PMS short for pre menstrual syndrome. These emotions can be confusing and range from crying and feeling moody, to being happy, with everything in between. Not everyone suffers, but if you do, come and speak to us here at Caledonia Youth and we can give you advice on how best to deal with it.
The importance of feelings
Sometimes when we show our feelings, we can feel a bit fragile or vulnerable, but they are important for lots of reasons:
- Showing and managing feelings allows us to let off steam slowly rather than exploding!
- Hiding how we feel can lead to misunderstandings. Think of when someone’s really bugged you, and they ask how you are and through gritted teeth you say “I’m fine”!
- Feelings are important and can sometimes reveal more to us about a situation (almost like a sixth sense)
- Happiness - shows us we’re doing something good or right for us
- Anger - may mean we think we’ve been treated badly
- Loneliness - may mean we need to talk or to be in touch with other people
- Fear - trust your instincts - if you are feeling scared, then usually things are not right at all, and you should either leave the situation, or be on your guard
Anger Alert
Answer yes or no to the following questions. Be honest, it’s only you that will see the answers!
- I get angry pretty easily
- Some people are scared of me
- I’ve been in trouble at school/work because of my temper
- I sometimes can’t get to sleep at night because of stuff that’s happened during the day
- I’ve been so angry that I forget what I say or do
- If I’ve been angry, I usually get drunk or stoned to calm down
- I don’t show I’m angry all the time, but when I do, watch out!
- Waiting in queue’s or waiting for people really annoys me
- I still get angry about stuff that’s happened in the past
You’ve probably guessed it already, but if you’ve mostly answered yes, then maybe how you deal with anger is something you should be thinking – and talking – about?
Check it out: