Teenage: An emotional rollercoaster ride
Aggression is the most common consequence of failing to find effective coping strategies to deal with difficult situations.
Hyderabad: Teenage years feel like a rollercoaster ride with constant changes -physically and emotionally, under the mercy of hormones. We are rebellious and impulsive and manifest our choices through our outward appearances.
These years are the time for understanding and comprehending the meaning of complex aspects of life such as interpersonal relationships, social issues, etc. Our brain undergoes changes and development during this time- responding and adapting to the physical and environmental changes which impact behaviour.
Behaviour is often driven by emotions hence managing them becomes vital. Some emotions such as happiness, surprise, and gratitude can be easily managed.
On the other hand, intense emotions such as shame, anger, sadness, jealousy, however, are compound and difficult to comprehend or manage. As teenagers with raging hormones, it becomes even more arduous. If we do not learn to take control over our emotions, we may hold on to these emotions as part of our identities. Aggression is the most common consequence of failing to find effective coping strategies to deal with difficult situations.
It is very crucial that we feel and express our emotions freely simultaneously explore ways to manage them. Teenage years are when we form the basis of emotional intelligence. Get help from parents, teachers, friends or adults in your lives to understand emotional intelligence. This might help improve poor management of emotions.
Teenagers might also face a deficit of emotional differentiation, that is, the ability to clearly label an emotion. It could happen because of experiencing more than one emotion at a time making it difficult to differentiate and label them.
Emotional self-regulation and mindfulness will help increase our emotional differentiation. Work with parents, teachers, or friends in finding coping strategies to help manage your emotions. If your emotions or moods get in the way of your daily activities it may be a sign of needing support. It is important to take help from mental health professionals in such situations.
Sakina Shaikh,
The Bright Side Foundation
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