LQ: How can I understand my emotions better? Identify your current level of confidence (1 = no confidence; 2 = some confidence; 3 = very confident) I can recognise changes in my body and identify how I feel 1 2 3 I can understand how my emotions influence my thinking and behaviour I know how to manage negative emotions I can identifying the warning signs when I am becoming angry and upset I know how to be assertive

LQ: How do I understand and manage my emotions? The last lobe to mature is the frontal lobe, which controls judgement and self-control. Fully developed: 25 years old Children’s brains have a massive growth spurt when they’re very young. By the time they’re six, their brains are already about 90-95% of adult size. But the brain still needs a lot of remodelling before it can function as an adult brain. This brain remodelling happens intensively during adolescence, continuing into your mid-20s. Some brain changes happen before puberty, and some continue long after. Brain change depends on age, experience and hormonal changes in puberty. So even though all teenagers’ brains develop in roughly the same way at the same time, there are differences among individual teenagers. The main change is that unused connections in the thinking and processing part of your brain (called the grey matter) are ‘pruned’ away. At the same time, other connections are strengthened. This is the brain’s way of becoming more efficient, based on the ‘use it or lose it’ principle. This pruning process begins in the back of the brain. The front part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is remodelled last. The prefrontal cortex is the decision-making part of the brain, responsible for your ability to plan and think about the consequences of actions, solve problems and control impulses. Changes in this part continue into early adulthood. Because the prefrontal cortex is still developing, teenagers might rely on a part of the brain called the amygdala to make decisions and solve problems more than adults do. The amygdala is associated with emotions, impulses, aggression and instinctive behaviour. The largest part of the human brain, the cortex, is divided into several lobes which mature from back to front. When the cerebral cortex is not fully matured making rational disciplined decisions is much more difficult.

LQ: How do I understand and manage my emotions? Is rational/balanced thinking difficult for you? Do you struggle to understand what you are feeling? Do you have lots of strong/difficult feelings? This is normal! It is important to highlight that the difficult feelings young people experience on a daily basis is normal! If the same difficult feeling persists over several days or into weeks the young person will probably need adult support to shift this difficult feeling. Important that they normalise their feelings! You will experience strong feelings and intense emotions, and your moods might be unpredictable. These emotional ups and downs can lead to increased conflict. They happen partly because your brain is still learning how to control and express emotions in a grown-up way.

LQ: How do I understand and manage my emotions?

LQ: How do I understand and manage my emotions? 1. Complete worksheet- indicate with a cross where you might experience physical reactions to strong emotions. 2. Emotions are directly related to feelings and thoughts, yet there is also a connection between the physical reactions and the emotions we experience. Think about the times you have felt your pulse race or your mouth go dry. These physical changes probably occurred while you were experiencing a strong emotion, such as stress, anger, fear. There are definite physical responses caused by strong emotions. All human beings have a nervous system that automatically reacts to strong emotions. Think of the emotion as an emergency signal for the body. To meet this emergency, the nervous system activates and prepares the body. Think of something in the past that angered/sacred you and then try thinking of how your body responded to that emotion. Usually the body’s first response to anger is an increased breathing rate. This is the body’s way of taking in more oxygen. When you breathe faster, your heart pumps faster. This increases the pressure on your arteries. When you are angry, you might break into a sweat. If you look into a mirror, you may find your pupils are dilated. Your face is likely to either turn pale or flushed. Your hands can also turn cold. A lot of energy is used by your body when you experience strong emotions. You might find yourself shaking. Physically unfit individuals may experience pains in the chest. Recognize the physical signs and be aware of the effects strong emotions have on the health of the body. By being more aware of how emotions affects the body, you can make efforts to prevent damage to your health.

LQ: How do I understand and manage my emotions? In the throes of happiness or sadness, it is hard to imagine feeling any differently than what we are presently experiencing. And when a child is in the middle of an intense emotion, it can feel to the child or teen that the emotion is here to stay. Try help teens understand that they will probably feel differently tomorrow, and they will roll their eyes and not listen to what you have to say. So what is a teacher to do? How you handle yourself and how you talk about your emotions can go far in teaching your children how to handle theirs. When you are talking about your own feelings, discuss their transitory nature. Say things like, “Today, I am feeling like [name the emotion]. But I will likely feel differently tomorrow after a night of good sleep.” We all have emotions, even unpleasant ones we wish could go away. Particularly for children, what they feel is largely out of their control. Behaviors, on the other hand, are actions that we each choose to take. As a parent avoid criticizing the emotion, i.e., what they are feeling. But if needed, caution your child when he hits, bites, says mean things, or otherwise chooses actions that are unacceptable. Emphasize safe ways of expressing emotion.

LQ: How do I understand and manage my emotions? Which of the below are positive coping strategies? Which are negative coping strategies? Use my words to hurt other peoples feelings Talk to someone I trust about my feelings Write my feelings and thoughts down Count to ten slowly Name-call & insult other people Punch walls or hurt myself Throw objects, or slam doors Complete worksheet then check using this slide. Swear, shout, use negative words Finds something that distracts me Try to have positive thoughts about the situation

Distractions booklet