Four Things a Four-year-old Can Teach Us About
Feelings
From a young age, we feel tremendous emotions. Children become
devastated when their balloon pops, but the tears dry and another
toy takes its place. Even arguments pass quickly. It can be comical
to watch two children fighting over something as silly as who
got the bigger helping of ice cream and then, ten minutes later,
return to being the best of friends. Children are able to express
their feelings without worrying about them, and as naturally
as these feelings are expressed, they are let go.
Your life is undoubtedly more complicated. Maybe you wouldn’t
cry because some takes the last scoop of ice cream,
but what if someone should take your job, partner, or your trust?
What will you do? How can we feel our emotions but still move
ourselves forward to the next experience?
Four things a four-year-old can teach us about feelings:
Even if your feelings don’t make sense to anyone
(or even to yourself), the feelings are still there.
Sometimes you just feel like screaming and crying. It
usually won’t change the situation, but even when
nothing changes, you do feel better.
Use your words. In situations where it is possible to
talk about what is bothering you, use simple phrases to
express your feelings:
I want/I miss/I don’t like/ I don’t know
how to…
Play, even when things are boring or frustrating. Entertain
and enjoy yourself just as you are, right now.
And lastly, play even when you lose. When a child gets
hit in the head in a dodge ball game, he takes time to recover,
but he will get back into the game. Just because you fall
or get hurt, don’t stop playing.
Have a great month!
If you would like to talk more about how awareness
can translate into action, call (415-710-7036) or