By Christina Pires
Everyone remembers being a teenager. Those seven years of adolescence filled with new friendships, endless possibilities and emotions — intense emotions. Emotions that are so frustrating one is at a loss as to how to express them, much less control or work through them.
But there is help on the horizon with the release of the self-help journal Put Your Feelings Here. Part scratchpad and part workbook, the journal creates a safe space for teens to release emotional tension. Author and licensed clinical social worker Lisa M. Schab states this is the second book in the New Harbinger Publications series: Instant Help Guided Journals for Teens.
“The first book, Put Your Worries Here: A Creative Journal for Teens with Anxiety was so great that we decided to do another one! The original idea actually came from New Harbinger,” she said. “They’ve got so many effective books in their teen catalogue and the Instant Help series, and they thought this new creative format would be really different and appealing.”
Schab, who also has a counseling practice in the greater Chicago, IL area, has written several teen self-help books, two of which were international best-sellers. So when New Harbinger approached her again she thought the format was, “Fun and inviting; I thought it had great potential for reaching teens.” Other self-help journals written include “anxiety and intense emotions” with a plan to move onto “anger, self-esteem and more.” She refers to the journals as, “Therapy that doesn’t look like therapy; what’s good about that is that it helps to combat the stigma around mental health.”
In Put Your Feelings Here, prompts ask readers to step back from their problem and find a solution using their ‘Emotional’, ‘Logical’ and ‘Wise’ mind. Schab describes the ‘Emotional’ mind as where the reader is upon opening the book: lonely, angry, happy, etc. Readers are then prompted to assess their problem with their ‘Logical’ mind, putting emotion aside. However, it’s their ‘Wise’ mind that recognizes the balance between logic and emotion, and therefore can help determine the best solution. Schab points out that journaling or completing prompts, “also helps to release emotion simply because it provides a chance for physical exertion. So this in itself is helpful for emotional regulation, which is the goal of the book.”
In addition, the book was written to empower the reader. According to Schab, the idea is, “to help them understand that they can have an impact on their emotional state — that they are not victims to their emotions. When they complete a prompt, it’s so important that they recognize that they themselves made that happen. When we have the confidence that we can help ourselves feel better, we feel encouraged and build hope rather than feeling defeated and discouraged.”
The prompts offer multiple ways to creatively and critically put emotion onto paper. Take for instance coloring books: they are a popular form of stress relief (even among adults), and pages 12-13 offer the first of many coloring prompts. Those who love drawing to decompress are in luck as there are many drawing prompts, the first of which is on pages 16-17. However, if the reader gravitates more towards writing, they’ll find a nice variety here. Those prompts employ the use of critical and creative thinking.
Out of all 100 prompts, three stand out as Schab’s personal favorites. The first is found on pages 20-21 featuring a dark grey sky, “a moon, stars, silhouettes of trees (in light pink), and a vast field of space for writing.” We are told we’re hiking at twilight when we come into contact with a ‘Wise Being’ who wishes to give us a message. It asks us to describe the being as well as what the message is. Schab notes that, “This prompt is not only visually appealing, but really helps the reader to get out of their current stressed mind space and tap into their ‘Wise Mind’ where so many of our best answers are stored.”
While most people agree that facing emotional pain is beneficial, some people would prefer to forget it. To that end, the prompt on pages 110-111 serves as a welcome distraction as readers participate in, “The Ultimate Category Game.” Another of Schab’s favorite prompts, she fondly lists off categories such as, “Cute Pet Names, Ice Cream Flavors, Tropical Destinations and Pizza Toppings” each with 10 blank spaces underneath to fill in. “Those topics would really take my mind off my problems,” Schab says, “and make me smile at the same time.”
Schab’s final favorite prompt (on page 85) is also geared towards writing, and it’s an extremely satisfying experience. It combines, “cognitive work (identifying disturbing thoughts) and physical release. There is an outline of a trash can with a large square in the middle. At the top it says, ‘What would it feel good to leave behind?’ Then at the bottom of the page it says, ‘Tear out this square and throw it in a dumpster or trashcan far from where you are now. Walk away and don’t look back.’”
And teens aren’t the only ones this book is geared for: adults can use the book, too! Schab notes, “We all experience intense emotions at different times, and the same emotional regulation techniques — such as breathing, visualization, self-soothing, distraction, examining our thoughts, etc. — can help us all. I teach these skills to my clients of all ages, and I use them myself every day!”
Christina Pires is an essayist who enjoys the simple things in life, like eating candy corn by pumpkin light on a cool Hallow’s Eve. She also loves reading, writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, and singing. You can follow her Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/TheCreativeBrewery/