Emotional Reactions

Here is an example: 

You find out that the person you have a crush on just asked out one of your friends. You might experience the feelings of jealousy, disappointment, anger, or hurt.

Below are 3 options for how you might deal with the situation:

1. Shut down, avoid your friend, quit talking to him/her, isolate yourself
2. Retaliate, spread rumors, say mean things to your friend, exclude them from your larger circle of friends, make fun of them
3. Shift your focus away from their relationship and focus on you, invite another friend to go see a movie, devote some time to exercise or a hobby, go shopping

Which response would you choose?  While the first 2 options might help you quickly channel your feelings, they will also likely create some long term problems.  The third option certainly isn't a quick fix, but it's the one solution that can help you learn to deal with problems and disappointments in your life.

To be emotionally aware, you will need to step back and examine what you are feeling.  Then try to weigh the pros and cons of how to respond.  Even though you may feel like jumping up and down and screaming in frustration sometimes, acting like a 2 year old isn't going to cut it as a teen or an adult.  Learning to react in an appropriate way to your emotions will help set you up for success in life---at school, in a job, and in most certainly in your relationships.