Tips for managing emotions

Most of our coping mechanisms are starting to develop in the childhood period. So, as a parent, you can help your child manage his emotions. You can help him recognize the emotions he or she feels and how to control them. You can help him learn how to understand the emotions he is experiencing. Below are some tips to help your child manage their emotions!
 

1. Lead by Example: Children often mirror their parents. They “want to be like mom or dad!” Children mimic behavior, expressions, and attitudes. Pay attention to your emotions and how you are dealing with stressful situations. Parents are the two closest people to a child, and if you can manage your emotions, your child is too.
2. Identify Coping Strategies: You need to let your child know that they will go through good and bad times. There will be moments full of emotions that will have a lasting impact on them and their behavior. Some coping strategies can be listening to music, drawing, going for a walk, and so on.
3. Talk about emotions: identify things that trigger you and notice if you are truly feeling that way or that there is something else that is bothering you. Are you upset, or are you just tired from a long day, or hungry, or stressed?
4. Practice mindfulness: When you are present in the moment, you are less likely to dwell on the past or worry about the future. Practicing mindfulness means focusing on nothing but what the person in front of you is saying, the path in front of you, your surroundings, the music you are listening to, your breath, etc. Being actively part of the present moment can limit the amount of time you spend building up past events into emotional issues or creating problems out of concerns for the future that have not yet occurred. It gives you the freedom

to simply be here now rather than getting caught up in things you cannot change or control.
 
When you have the ability to cope with your emotions and understand why you feel a certain way, you can learn a lot more about yourself. Identifying things that bother you, excite you, etc. can help you understand your responses in the future.