The complete list of all life-guiding messages for young people – click the titles for further information
When your body experiences fear, lots of triggers ready your body for a “fight-or-flight” action response. Learn to override this response by counteracting with relaxation techniques. Relaxation tells your body that there is no danger and that you are safe.
Running from fears never improves the way you feel about a fear. Next time you experience a fear, verbally engage the fear, using words that describe your fear and anxiety.
One of the simplest causal analysis methods involves asking yourself “why” five times. You start by identifying the problem. “My house is always disorganised.” Then, you ask yourself why that is the case. You create a chain of inquiry that offers insight about the core of the problem.
Performing root cause analysis can help you identify the root of your problems so that you can eliminate the issue for good. “Causal analysis” is a method that can help you anticipate future problems, eliminate current issues, and develop an action-plan to resolve trouble.
Long-lasting and fulfilling friendships take time to grow. Try not to be too critical of yourself and your efforts, and be patient. Build that friendship which you want for yourself by being a good friend to others.
Don’t deprive yourself of doing something you want to do just because you have no-one to go with you, like going to a movie or a concert. All the people including you are there to enjoy themselves having a shared experience, so make the best of it.
Next time a negative situation or issue arises and you’re tempted to brush it under the rug, stop. Don’t brush it under the rug where it’s still there, just hidden. Resolve it, brush it into the trash and then take the trash out.
Suppressing your feelings regularly will only result in an emotional overload. Bottle them up for too long and they explode. Avoiding conflict and brushing things under the rug does not mean they’ll go away, it means they’ll come back later, but with firepower behind them.
The power to label your emotions is beneficial for self-understanding and emotional intelligence. Engaging with a fear and verbalising your fear has incredible power to help you overcome fears and regulate emotions.
“Exposing yourself to your fear” means doing small steps until you feel no fear. If you’re afraid of dogs, start by looking at a badly drawn doodle of a dog until you feel no fear response. Then, look at a photo of a dog, then a video of a dog and so on, until no fear response exists at each stage.