Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up! (A Comprehensive Emotions Management Plan)
Children and teens live in an ever-changing world that throws more and more at them and prepares them less and less to deal with the direct impacts, the collateral damage and the emotions that follow. At Hope 4 Hurting Kids, our goal is to help these hurting children and teens move from hurt to hope and healing.
Today we announce a three stage plan to help young people understand, deal with and overcome the difficult emotional circumstances of their lives. We’re calling it:
JUMP In! STAND Strong! RISE Up!
We contemplated other names for this strategy like “Recognize, Survive and Thrive” and “Know It, Own It and Grow From It”; but in the end we settled on “Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up!” as a visual picture of the three stages of dealing with difficult and unpleasant emotions. Let’s have a closer look at each stage.
Jump In! (Understanding Emotions)
Jump In! is all about making the effort to learn about, name and recognize what we feel. Emotions are not bad things – even when they’re unpleasant. Rather than avoiding them, it’s important that we teach young people to Jump In – get in there in the midst of those emotions, put a name to them and understand what they look like and how they feel.
Here at Hope 4 Hurting Kids, we encourage the use of the:
Super Simple Feelings Management Technique
It stands for:
- See It
- Say It
- Feel It
- Mimic It
- Talk About It
You can learn more about the Super Simple Feelings Management Technique by clicking here.
Stand Strong! (Coping with Emotions)
Once young people are able to identify emotions in themselves and others, it is important that they have a tool box of coping skills to help them deal with those feelings.
Here our Hope 4 Hurting Kids, our mnemonic for remembering the different types of Coping Skills is:
Please Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff
It reminds us of six different kinds of coping skills:
- Physical
- Diversion
- Soothing
- Thinking
- Social
- Spiritual
You can find out more about Please Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff by clicking here.
Rise Up! (Moving On)
When young people have an understanding of their emotions and the coping skills to deal with them, it is possible for them to Rise Up and get past those feelings they have been dealing with to move on with their lives.
At Hope 4 Hurting Kids, we encourage young people to have a
Grand Feelings Exit Plan
This mnemonic explores the indications that a young person has finally moved through their difficult emotions and is ready to move on with life. The Great Feelings Exit Plan stands for:
- Gratitude
- Forgiveness
- Empathy
- Pushing On
Click here to learn more about the Grand Feelings Exit Plan.
So, let’s all work together to help young people to understand that they don’t have to wallow in their emotions; instead they can find hope healing when they choose to:
Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up!
For more awesome resources for learning about and dealing with emotions, please visit our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Emotions Help Center.
