Coping with Emotions (Emotional Self-Regulations) Emotional coping skills [Managing emotions - A like Skill]

Emotional approach coping is a construct encompassing the intentional use of emotional processing and emotional expression in efforts to manage adverse circumstances. Recognizing a feeling as it happens and being aware of mood and thoughts about that mood. Handling their own feelings and expressing them appropriately. Recognizing how their emotions affect others. Recognizing emotions in others and being sensitive to what they need or want.

Emotional coping skills help a person to manage the intense feelings and physical stress that accompany painful life transitions

One of the many important life skills is managing feelings, which youth should learn early in their development. Learning experiences for this life skill should teach youth how to express their feelings appropriately and recognize emotions in others. Some of the skills youth can learn when managing feelings include:

- Recognizing a feeling as it happens and being aware of mood and thoughts about that mood.

- Handling their own feelings and expressing them appropriately.

- Recognizing how their emotions affect others.

- Recognizing emotions in others and being sensitive to what they need or want.

- Managing their own emotions and being able to react appropriately to the emotions of others when they are interacting.

Youth should be able to complete the following skills at each age range. Since children and youth develop at different rates, these skills are only a guide and are not a complete list of skills.


Here are some ways that you can help youth learn the skill of managing feelings:

Create a journal to capture feelings, thoughts and moods.

Observe friends or family members and try to identify their emotions when they interact with others and when they are alone.

Create a feelings chart listing the different emotions that people can feel.

Participate in or start a community service project in your town and discuss how it made you feel and how you think it made the people that you helped feel.

Discuss a time when you were happy, sad or angry and how your feelings affected others.