Emotions 101

Start here with some of our best topics on emotions.

How Stress Affects Your Body

When activated too long or too often, stress can damage virtually every part of our body.

Talking Points:

  • Biologically, stress is caused by the release of hormones. Problems can arise if these hormones are released too consistently.
  • Continued stress can also affect digestion and weight retention by disrupting normal, healthy digestion.
  • Continued stress will affect your immune system in the long-term, making you more susceptible to sickness.
  • To negate these effects, you must learn how to healthily handle stress so you do not suffer its most serious side-effects.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. What are some things that cause you stress? Do these things happen often or rarely?
  3. What side effects of stress do you notice most often in your own life?
  4. Do you think it’s important to know the effects stress can have on your body? Why or why not?
  5. What sort of things do you do to combat stress? Are these things effective?
  6. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

How To Process Your Emotions

In order to be relaxed, we have to do one thing that might make us uncomfortable: process our emotions.

Talking Points:

  • We don’t always show, realize, or even feel all the emotions we experience throughout the day. Left unaddressed, these things can manifest as anxiety.
  • The problem for many of us is that we are not processing our emotions. We try to do everything but process our emotions by distracting ourselves.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Have you ever seen someone and thought, “They’re dealing with some stuff right now, but they’re not talking about it?” Or has this been you at times? What happened?
  3. What sort of emotions or issues are often in the back of your mind?
  4. Have you ever experienced anxiety-related struggles? Or have you seen it happen to someone else? What happened?
  5. “We try to do everything but process our emotions.” Have you seen this to be true in yourself and others? Explain.
  6. “We grow depressed about everything because we cannot be sad about something.” Explain how you’ve seen this to be true in your life.
  7. Does what you feel about yourself sometimes contradict what you truly believe about yourself? Explain.
  8. Why is it important to find people who “warmly recognize and charitably accept” the challenges of being human? Do you have friends, mentors, parents, or similar people in your life who can be there for you?
  9. Why is it important to acknowledge and admit our fears, anxieties, troubles, or other issues?
  10. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

What Is Clinical Depression?

Learn the symptoms and treatments of depression to help yourself or someone else.

Talking Points:

  • Everyone feels down from time to time. Things like getting a bad grade, losing your job, having an argument, and even a rainy day can cause you to feel sad. Clinical depression is much different. It is an actual disorder and it won’t go away. It lingers for at least two weeks and interferes with your ability to work, play, or love.
  • Some of the most common symptoms include a depressed mood, loss of interest in things you formerly enjoyed, changes in appetite, feeling worthless, sleeping too much or too little, poor concentration, restlessness, slowness, loss of energy, or recurring thoughts of suicide. 
  • If you know someone who is struggling with depression, be willing to talk openly about it. Studies show that simply asking someone about suicidal thoughts can reduce their risk of suicide.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. What did you know about depression before this video? Did this video change your perception of depression? Why or why not?
  3. Do you agree or disagree that depression is a diagnosable medical condition with physiological causes? Why or why not?
  4. Have you ever known someone with depression? How did you learn they had depression?
  5. Have you ever had an open conversation about depression with someone? Explain.
  6. How can we help people we know if they are suffering from depression? Explain.
  7. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

The Science of Anger

Find out what happens inside of your body when you’re angry.

Talking Points:

  • When something makes you angry, your amygdala processes it and coordinates the release of neurotransmitters called “catecholamines.” Catecholamines cause you to feel a burst of energy, which prepares you for physical action. This is at times called the “fight or flight” response.
  • Constant, chronic anger can increase a person’s chance of getting heart diseases caused by high blood pressure. It could even lead to heart attacks. The good news is that there are many ways to deal with your anger, like exercise, meditation, or having fun.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Tell about a time you’ve been angry. What happened? Why did you become angry?
  3. Would you consider yourself an angry person? Why or why not?
  4. Have other people spoken with you about your anger in the past? Or have you ever had to confront someone who seemed to have an anger problem? What happened?
  5. How easily are you provoked to anger in general? What are some triggers that set you off?
  6. What are some practical ways that you can begin controlling your anger today? If you know someone who is struggling with anger, what are some ways you can walk with them through their struggle?
  7. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

The Importance of an Unhappy Adolescence

Adolescence is the tumultuous period of life when we discover that our childhood perspectives are not true and we are challenged with how to respond.

Talking Points:

  • As children, we develop a perspective that the world is perfect and well-balanced. Adolescence is the tumultuous period of life when we discover that these early perspectives are not true and we are challenged with how to respond.
  • Every adolescent desires to see their parents stick around and display unconditional love no matter what they do. They need to believe the love they have from their parents is indeed solid.
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Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. What were you like as a teen? Share a story if you have one.
  3. What was your relationship with your family like during your teen years? Explain.
  4. Discuss a time when your adolescent said they hated you. How did you respond?
  5. Discuss ways you can demonstrate unconditional love to your adolescent.
  6. In your own adolescence, discuss how your parents demonstrated love for you.
  7. How important do you believe it is for an adolescent to rebel?
  8. Discuss how a non-rebellious child might be demonstrating unhealthy characteristics.
  9. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

How to Manage Your Anger

What happens when someone flips you off on the road? Why not let your anger ruminate?

Talking Points:

  • Be slow to get angry. If you blurt out the first thing you think when anger arises, you will end up saying something you regret.
  • When you say negative things to someone, their first response is often to fight or to flee. This is just going to put you in a never-ending argument about who is wrong, or to cause the relationship to shut down.
  • Ruminating on your anger can even be detrimental to your health. People who harbor anger are more likely to have heart attacks. So, not only will anger harm you mentally, but it can also harm you physically.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. What does it mean to be “slow to anger?” On a scale of 1-10, how good are you at it?
  3. What is it that we really want when we are angry? How does our anger betray our true intention and work against achieving what we really want?
  4. What was the last thing you ruminated on? How long did it take for you to spit out the cud and move on? What happened that made you realize you were wasting time dwelling on the circumstance that caused you to be angry?
  5. Do you know someone who ruminates in their anger? How successful in their careers are they compared to others? How happy do they seem compared to others? How can we avoid this pattern in the future?
  6. Is anger a choice? Why or why not? How much does feeling angry has to do with self-control? What is your most common reflexive behavior when something makes you angry?
  7. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

 

Myths About PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is real, but don’t be discouraged by mixed-up ideas about PTSD from seeking help from others.

Talking Points:

  • Myth #1: Only wartime trauma causes PTSD. While there is a correlation between PTSD and the frequency and severity of traumatic experience(s), any situation in which a person feels powerless, out of control, or unsafe can lead to the disorder.
  • Myth #2: The only aftermath of trauma is PTSD. Individuals may try to escape or numb their emotions through substance abuse or addiction. Others may look for comfort in controlling what they eat, which can lead to an eating disorder.
  • Myth #3: PTSD is a terminal diagnosis with a poor prognosis. With the help of a mental health professional, an individual can define, face, and overcome their traumatic experience and its effects.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Have you ever known someone who suffered from PTSD, or have you ever experienced it yourself? Share a story if you are comfortable.
  3. What are some appropriate ways to respond to a friend who approaches us seeking guidance in dealing with PTSD or other side-effects of trauma?
  4. Which myth most surprised you? Explain.
  5. How can you seek help for PTSD or other trauma-related issues?
  6. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

The Grieving Process: Coping with Death

There is no right or wrong way to deal with the loss of a loved one. The grieving process is rough - and it's different for everyone.

Talking Points:

  • Grief is a process, not a task and it’s unique to each person.
  • When it comes to grief, some days you may feel on top of the world, while on others you may feel down in the dumps.
  • In order to begin working through your grief you first have to acknowledge that it exists. Take your time and don’t be afraid of the emotions you feel.
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. How have you experienced grief in your life? How was your experience different from others in your life?
  3. What do you think would be the most difficult “step” of the grief process for you to get through? (The steps are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.) Why?
  4. Why is it important not to rush through grief?
  5. How could you help someone else who is going through the grief process? Explain.
  6. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?