Emotional management

The very title of this blog can be intimidating.  We as adults that are reading this blog have so many other areas in our daily lives that we must manage.

We are responsible for managing our homes, (the cleaning, cooking, laundry, etc.).  If we are employed, we then have the additional task of managing our positions at our places of employment.  This may or may not include managing others.

For some of us, just the idea of managing to get to the place of employment requires management of our time.  We must prepare in enough time so that we get ready, travel to the place of employment and be ready to start work at the required time.

Even if we work from home, some form of management is required so that we perform what our employers pay us to do.

There’s time management, home management, family management, financial management, social management and then there’s the personal management aspect of life that if we’re not careful, we let get away from us.

Now consider children and their inability to manage their emotions.

It’s a really sobering thought.

I’ll be honest and be the first to say just that thought (when I consider my own adult challenges with my emotional management) it causes me to be much more patient with them.

And if they have experienced any sort of trauma… well that adds to the challenge.

One of the ways we assist our Mentees with managing their emotions is that we provide a “Safe Place” for them to share their emotions.

During our class discussions we allow them to share how they feel.  The first couple of times, some were hesitant because they hadn’t experienced a safe environment to openly share without being told to, “shut up”, “be quiet” or “shhhhh.”

Our space is balanced, we’re non-judgmental.  This allows us to win their trust knowing there will be no condemnation, belittling or physical harm.

This allows us to help them properly share their emotions.  We then offer resources, tips and even fun yet educational exercises for them to display emotions and learn how to deal with them.

If necessary, clinical therapy is also an option.

We invite you to view our Facebook page as the Mentees pantomime and displayed different emotions and the class was charged with guessing them.

This powerful exercise allowed our team to see their leadership skills and acting abilities along with their creative talents.

It was by far as the children say, “One of the best days ever!”

They loved this exercise so much that they asked to play it daily.

Let us be mindful to provide safe places for their emotional management to grow and develop.

Picture credit: Kat-Love @Unsplash.com