1. Chapter 7.4 Managing Emotions

2. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
From whom, what, and where have you learned to express your emotions?
How NOT to deal with emotions…
Exaggerating for effect
Ignoring them
Hostility

3. Dealing with Emotions in Positive Ways
Respond to Your Emotions:
Ask yourself:
What am I really reacting to?
Does the intensity of my emotion match the situation?
Will the situation matter tomorrow, next week, or next year?
Consider the consequences of your action.
Use POSITIVE feelings to inspire yourself.
Physical Activity
Talking to a family member/trusted friend
Seek help if negative feeling doesn’t go away.

4. Managing Difficult Emotions
Recognize the emotion
Slow, deep breaths and relaxing
Compose yourself
Analyze the situation
Write in a private journal
Playing music

5. Defense Mechanisms Defense Mechanism
Mental processes that protect individuals from strong or stressful emotions and situations.
COMMON DEFENSE MECHANISMS?

6. Defense Mechanisms
Repression: Involuntary pushing of unpleasant thoughts out of conscious thought
Suppression: Conscious, intentional pushing of unpleasantness from one’s mind
Rationalization: Making excuses to explain a situation or behavior rather than directly taking responsibility
Regression: Reverting to behaviors more characteristic of an earlier stage of development rather than dealing with the conflict in a mature manner

7. Defense Mechanisms
Compensation: Making up for weaknesses and mistakes through gift-giving, hard work, or extreme effort
Projection: Attributing your own feelings or faults to another person or group
Idealization: Seeing someone else as perfect, ideal, or more worthy than everyone else
Denial: Unconscious lack of acknowledgement of something that is obvious to others

8. More Ways to Manage Difficult Emotions
Handling Fear
Overcoming fear requires a strategy.
Some fear is healthy/natural
Irrational or uncontrollable fear is a problem.
Dealing with Guilt
Admit mistake and make amends
Resolve to being more careful/responsible in the future
Is it in YOUR control?
Managing Anger
Find the underlying source