How Can Teenagers Deal with Their Emotions?

'Emotional Intelligence' , EI, describes an ability or a capacity to perceive, assess and manage the emotions of one's real self and of others. Our EQ, or 'Emotional Quotient' , is how one measures 'Emotional Intelligence'. Dealing with emotions is extremely important to our health. When we repress feelings, they will manifest, through illnesses such as depression, anxieties, panic and eating disorders, just to name a few.

We must be honest about our feelings. Only then can we accept and manage them. Many people prefer to ignore their emotions, especially when it may upset people who are close to them. For example, if you are infatuated with someone who does not reciprocate your feelings, you would want to suppress these feelings . Many people make the mistake of believing that feelings will go away if you ignore them. However, the truth is that there is a slim chance of this happening. Instead, there will be a build-up of pent-up emotions that will eventually lead to stress.

We must confront our emotions. Ideally, we should have someone to confide in, but for most people, baring their souls is difficult. Keeping a diary is a good way of confronting our feelings. When we write down how we feel, our emotions become clearer to us. It becomes easier to understand why we feel a certain way, and the emotion becomes less painful. Sometimes it helps us to see the solution to our problems which had earlier seemed insurmountable.

When we feel depressed, we must find a way to circumvent the urge to indulge in self-pity. We must engage in an enjoyable activity or hobby, or simply go for a long walk. Exercise and music have been proven to be therapeutic for the troubled soul.

Learning how to deal with emotions can be a daunting task for teenagers. However, it is an essential part of the growing process and the sooner we learn to deal with them, the faster we will