Teen Trailblazers - Are you about to blow?

By Wendy Collier, B. Ed.

A dormant volcano is still capable of creating a catastrophic event. It has the capacity to blow its’ top off but when it will do that is hard to pin down.

Your emotions are just like that. If you keep your emotions inside (dormant), it has the capacity to blow up and can lead to catastrophic problems for yourself and for the relationships you have with others. Emotions are a huge part of being human, so it is something we need to accept, respect and learn to deal with it, in healthy ways.

As your hormone levels go up and down, so do your emotions. There will be times when you won’t know what to do with the conflicting emotions you are experiencing. Expressing your emotions in healthy ways lessens the chance that you will blow your lid off like the volcano and hurt the people around you that really care for you.

Your A.C.T.I.O.N. Step: Write down the following phrases with an ending expressing exactly how you are feeling: I feel afraid…. I feel mad… I feel angry.. I feel disappointed.. I feel hurt… I feel frustrated, etc.

Example: I feel hurt that I wasn’t invited to Sam’s birthday party. I don’t understand why I wasn’t invited. We still play together. I was looking forward to inviting her to my party. I just don’t get it….

Be completely honest and pour all your thoughts and feelings onto the paper. No one else will read this because you MUST rip it up and shred it once you feel like you’ve expressed your full mountain of emotions.

You’ll find you’ll be free of the overwhelming amount of conflicting emotions. Now, you’ll be able to look at the situation from a more healthy view.