1. Managing Emotions
How do you deal with your emotions?

2. Managing Emotions
Learning to recognize emotions and deal with them in healthful ways are especially important to good mental health.

3. Lesson Objectives In this lesson, you’ll learn to:
Evaluate the positive and negative effects of peers, family, and friends on emotional health.
Demonstrate strategies for communicating emotions and needs in healthful ways.

4. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Responding to Your Emotions
Some strategies for interpreting and responding to most emotions:
Look below the surface.
Consider the situation.
Consider the consequences.
Use positive feelings.
Seek help.

5. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Look Below the Surface
Look below the surface of your emotion.
Ask yourself:
What am I really reacting to?
Does the intensity of my emotion match the situation?

6. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Consider the Situation
Consider whether or not the situation to which you are reacting will matter tomorrow, next week, or next year.

7. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Consider the Consequences
Don’t take action on a strong feeling until you have thoroughly considered the possible consequences of your action.

8. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Use Positive Feelings
Use positive feelings to inspire yourself.
Relieve negative or upsetting feelings by engaging in physical activities or by talking to a family member.

9. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Seek Help
If a negative feeling doesn’t go away, seek help from a parent, another trusted adult, or a health care professional.

10. Managing Difficult Emotions
Dealing with Intense Emotions
Take slow, deep breaths and relax when you feel your emotions building.
Control your feelings by analyzing the situations that cause them.
Get away from the situation to compose yourself.
Write in a private journal or play music.

11. Managing Difficult Emotions
Defense Mechanisms
You may try to avoid the emotions that cause you discomfort by using defense mechanisms.
For instance, the use of suppression can provide a temporary escape from an unpleasant situation.
In the long run, however, defense mechanisms may keep you from facing what is really troubling you.

12. Managing Difficult Emotions
Common Defense Mechanisms

13. Managing Difficult Emotions
Handling Fear
Fear is an emotion many people work to overcome. Overcoming fear requires a strategy.
Identify your fear.
Analyze the
situation that
causes fear.
Talk about
your fear
with someone
you trust.
Some fear is healthy and natural; only when fear is irrational or uncontrollable should you consider it a problem.

14. Managing Difficult Emotions
Dealing with Guilt
Try to get at the underlying source of
your guilt and address that issue.
Resolve to be more careful and responsible in the future.
Discuss the situation with family or friends.

15. Managing Difficult Emotions
Managing Anger
The first step in constructively dealing with anger is similar to
dealing with guilt: try to get at the underlying source and
address it.

16. Quick Review
Provide a short answer to the question given below.
Q. List the strategies for interpreting, responding to, and communicating an emotion or need in healthful ways.
Click Next to view the answer.

17. Quick Review - Answer
A. The strategies for interpreting, responding to, and communicating an emotion or need in healthful ways:
Look below the surface of your emotion.
Consider whether the situation will matter later.
Consider the consequences before acting.
Be inspired by positive feelings.
Seek help for persistent negative feelings.
Click Next to attempt another question.

18. Q. What are five common defense mechanisms?
Quick Review
Provide a short answer to the question given below.
Q. What are five common defense mechanisms?
Click Next to view the answer.

19. A. The common defense mechanisms are:
Quick Review - Answer
A. The common defense mechanisms are:
Repression
Suppression
Rationalization
Regression
Denial
Compensation
Projection
Idealization
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20. Q. What are some ways of managing strong emotions?
Quick Review
Provide a short answer to the question given below.
Q. What are some ways of managing strong emotions?
Click Next to view the answer.

21. A. You can learn to manage strong emotions by using the
Quick Review - Answer
A. You can learn to manage strong emotions by using the
following methods:
Take slow, deep breaths and relax when you feel your emotions building.
Get away from the situation to compose yourself.
Control your feelings by analyzing the situations that cause them.
Click Next to attempt another question.

22. Quick Review Discuss the question given below.
Describe the results that may occur when you take time to
reflect before responding to a strong emotion.

23. Managing Difficult Emotions
Defense Mechanisms
You may try to avoid the emotions that cause you discomfort by using defense mechanisms.
For instance, the use of suppression can provide a temporary escape from an unpleasant situation.
In the long run, however, defense mechanisms may keep you from facing what is really troubling you.
A defense
mechanism is a
mental process
that protects an
individual from strong
or stressful emotions
and situations.

24. Managing Difficult Emotions
Defense Mechanisms
You may try to avoid the emotions that cause you discomfort by using defense mechanisms.
For instance, the use of suppression can provide a temporary escape from an unpleasant situation.
In the long run, however, defense mechanisms may keep you from facing what is really troubling you.
Suppression is defined as
the act of holding back or
restraining.