| In my work I sometimes encounter people who have trouble identifying their emotions, have learned their emotions are bad or dangerous or signs of weakness. They may seldom have had their emotions validated or acknowledged by loved ones. Emotions are simply information from the body that “something is going on” that we should pay attention to. Emotions often motivate action and are very important for our survival – think of the emotion of fear, and how it is related to fight, flight or freeze. The ‘problem’ with emotions often lies in how we express them, or act them out. It is often the behaviour that causes problems for people, rather than the emotion itself. Emotion coaching is a big part of raising happy, resilient, and well-adjusted children. Here is an article with 3 easy steps for emotion coaching, it’s never too late:http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/raising_happiness/post/emotion_coaching_one_of_the_most_important_parenting_practices_in_the_histo) |