Читать книгу Confident Children: Help children feel good about themselves - Gael Lindenfield, Gael Lindenfield - Страница 19

If feelings are not managed well, they can wield enormous unpredictable power. Sometimes it is good fun and exciting to allow our hearts to rule our heads, but generally in the everyday course of our lives we need to exercise skills that keep ‘the upper hand’ on our emotions. If children have been taught how to keep this kind of control, they will, for example, be able to:

– trust themselves better because they will not be worried that they will act unpredictably

– take on more challenges and risks because they can manage their fear, anxiety and frustration

– grieve healthily because they will not be afraid that their sadness will envelop and depress them forever

– cope effectively with confrontation and defend themselves from abuse, because they can use the energy of their anger in constructive ways

– allow themselves to be spontaneous and ‘let their hair down’ on occasions when they want to relax, because they do not fear that they may ‘go over the top’

– waste energy torturing themselves with guilt when they experience quite natural negative emotions such as jealousy and irritation (instead they will find constructive ways of containing and controlling these feelings)

– seek out experiences and relationships which give them deep joy, love and happiness, because they do not feel overwhelmed by passion