Controlling Emotions

There are six emotions that we are born with. Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust. These are feelings that keep us safe. But there are many emotions that spiral off from these ones, like ‘frustration’, ‘embarrassment’, ‘confusion’, ‘relief’, ‘proud’, ‘bored’.

Learning and thinking about different feelings can help us to figure out our own emotions and how we feel at different times. When we really know what we are feeling, it helps us decide on what to do about it and what actions to take.

When we experience an emotion, it is helpful to label it. We should think about why we are feeling it, “I am feeling happy because my friend is coming to play’, “I am feeling nervous because I have to sing in front of the school.”

When we label our feelings and work out what actions we can take, it gives us more control. This is developing our emotional intelligence and control.