FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS
FUNDACIÓN RANA
Feelings and emotions are part of people’s affective life. This vital sphere refers to the human capacity to feel, experience affection, form bonds, and express emotions.
Emotions are reactions we experience in response to an object, an event, or a person; they appear quickly and automatically. Joy, fear, or surprise are examples. Feelings, on the other hand, arise from how we interpret these emotions and the meaning we give them; they last over time, and the person is aware of them. Feeling love, shame, or envy are examples.
Talking about these aspects from the earliest years of life is essential to help form people who are more secure and aware of themselves, of what they experience, and of what they feel.
But… how does this help prevent sexual abuse?
Knowing about feelings and emotions helps children and young people recognize situations in which they do not feel comfortable.
If we create a context where emotions are talked about openly, it is more likely that a child will express what they have experienced or how they feel. In this way, adults can identify emotional changes or unusual moods.
Understanding how one feels in response to an event, a person, or a place helps the individual set boundaries and say NO.
Talking about it openly creates comforting and trusting environments; the person understands that they can talk about any difficult experience without fear.
Generally, sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence leaves an “emotional chaos” in the victim: an intense mix of feelings that is difficult to understand and express. Fear, shame, guilt, anger, or confusion are common.
In Tropicalia Island, feelings and emotions are addressed in a clear and simple way. Through natural, everyday experiences, the different emotional states experienced by Nil and Mango are shown: the excitement of exploring, fear of the dark, spiders, and balancing, the feeling of missing home, or the joy of trying new things. These examples can be a starting point for children to understand and validate their emotional states.
During the reading, what questions can we ask ourselves?
- Would you like to visit a deserted island?
- Nil is afraid of the dark… what are you afraid of?
- Look at Nil’s face: is he happy, angry, or sad?
- Shall we make a list of the positive and negative aspects of traveling to Tropicalia?
How can we continue working on identifying and validating feelings and emotions?
An important part is facial recognition of each feeling and emotion. You can create a family dictionary to work on this topic.
With the help of photographs of people close to the child (mother, father, aunts and uncles, grandparents, siblings…) and of the child themselves, together with images of their favorite animated characters, you can create a shared book. You can also add what triggers each facial reaction (for example: “I feel happy when I see a cat in the street,” “I feel sad when one of my toys breaks”).
You can include as many feelings and emotions as you like!
If you do the activity as a family (taking photos, buying card stock, creating the book, cutting out old photos…), you are sure to have a lot of fun!