Navigating Feelings: High School

Uprooted, uneasy and understandably emotional…

A majority of life is uncontrollable, even if you try to control it as much as possible… Whether it is an enigmatic virus, such as COVID-19, or an unexpected/unwanted time in your life, such as not getting picked to star in a school play… your “life’s rug” can be pulled out from under your feet with no warning.

During these turbulent and unmanageable times, it is important to be mindful of your emotions and share the emotions you are experiencing with others you love.

Below you’ll find books and activities that are appropriate for Freshman, Sophmore, Junior and Senior High Schoolers around the concept of “Navigating Feelings.”

GREAT BOOKS & CONVOS

How It Feels To Float

By Helena Fox

Why We LOVE This Book

Biz is faced with endless ups and downs and is having difficulty dealing with her emotions, at times. She tries to have a grasp on the majority of her life, but often loses sight of what is best and most important. Thanks to her Mum and friends, she is able to get her footing and embrace everything around her.

Conversation Launchers

Biz’s father struggled with anxiety, depression, and other crippling emotions: “Dad would watch the break and Mum said he looked at the sea like it was a woman he couldn’t touch. She cried then and told him to go back in. But every time he went out with his board, he came back a bit more rattled – like a crack you see on a windshield, a split that starts tiny and just keeps growing,” (page 58).

Do you think Biz’s father could and/or should have tried to be more excited about Biz?

At one point, Biz becomes very depressed emotionally: “Work comes from teachers. I’m supposed to be studying. Squeaky assignments scurry themselves into piles. But I can’t get out of bed,” (page 95).

Why do you think Biz is having such a difficult time lifting her spirits?
Is there anything Biz can do to improve her mood and think more positively?

Biz and her Mum cope with her father’s death differently. Give examples about how each of them cope.

Do you agree or disagree with how Biz and her Mum are grappling with losing him?
Do you think they should have tried to cope with his death differently?

There are many occurrences that lead-up to Biz being admitted to the psychiatric ward in Wagga Hospital, such as the photographs that talked and the inner conversations she had with herself.

Do you think there is a way for Biz to not be admitted to the ward?
Are there ways, in which Biz could have been helped?

Biz embraces and enjoys life in various parts of the novel by taking pictures and spending time with Jasper, Sylvia, and her family.

Is it important to spend time with your passions and people you love when you are spiraling out of control emotionally?
Why do people respond negatively sometimes when others are coping with varying emotions?

CLICK TO TRY THIS BOOK

Be Not Far From Me

By Mindy McGinnis

Why We LOVE This Book

Ashley is forced to deal with a wide variety of emotions when she decides to run-off from her friends and gets lost in the Smoky Mountains. She comes to various conclusions, while she is trying to survive and return to her father and friends.

Conversation Launchers

Since Ashley does not want to deal with her friends or emotions, she runs away and injures herself. When she realizes her injury is severe, she wants to fall asleep: “Because it’s so much better than being aware right now,” (page 32).

Do you think Ashley should have dealt with her emotions before running off, even if the accident did not occur?

Ashley experiences various intense positive and negative emotions, at various times.

What are some of the emotions Ashley experienced and how did she handle them?
How could Ashley have experienced them differently?

When Ashley cannot control the situations around her, she resorts to thinking about her past. A few instances she remembers are: her dad raising her to be confident, Kavita, Duke, and her other friends knowing she gets upset, and Davey Beet teaching her how to control a situation best to her ability.

Do you think Ashley is able to navigate her present emotions, since she reflected on past emotions?

When Ashley realizes she is safe, she cries: “There’s just crying,” (page 210). Then, she shuts down emotionally for awhile and reflects on her experience emotionally: “The Ashley from before would have been irritated at being wheeled everywhere, insisted on standing and walking because being carted around looks like weakness,” (page 216).

Is it important to be mindful of your emotions as you move through life?

Ashley decides to take another hike and may possibly experience many of the same emotions on the trip.

What emotions do you think Ashley will face on this trip?
Do you think it is necessary to put yourself in a similar position, in which you may not be in complete control, yet experience and reflect upon similar feelings again?

CLICK TO TRY THIS BOOK

Dear Evan Hansen

By Val Emmich

Why We LOVE This Book

Evan Hansen, an anxious teen, tends to be invisible to his peers, but everything changes his senior year. While Connor’s family is grieving the loss of Connor, Evan steps in to be Connor’s secret best friend and is not invisible anymore. As everything begins to unravel, Evan realizes the steps he is willing to take, in order to be noticed. No matter what the cost may be.

Conversation Launchers

Within the first three chapters, Evan recognizes and embraces his actions and emotions he experiences regularly, such as: “Great, I’m doing it again, willing my hands to get sweaty,” “Deep breath,” and “I do stupid things when I’m nervous, which means I’m constantly doing stupid things.”

What other actions and emotions does Evan experience?
Do you think it is important to be aware of commonly experienced emotions and their indicators?

Evan, Connor, and Zoe are all experiencing depression.

Discuss and give examples, in which their depression is dissimilar.
Do the characters’ thoughts and experiences overlap?

There are various chapters from Connor’s perspective about different events that take place throughout the book: “They stand here, talking about how much I meant to them,” “How they feel the things I felt. The isolation, unworthiness, loneliness. But how the hell do they know how I felt?” (page 191).

How do these chapters give different viewpoints of the characters experiencing various emotions?
Is this perspective helpful to the reader, in regards to navigating emotions?

While some of the characters are trying to work through different emotions, there are unkind statements made by others, such as: “Zoe’s a stuck-up b****. Trust me, I go to school with her,” and “Larry Murphy is a corporate lawyer who only cares about money,” (page 299).

Why do people respond negatively sometimes when others are coping with varying emotions?

People handle emotions differently, depending on who they are and where they are in their lives.

Give examples, in which some characters encounter and embrace their emotions positively, while other characters encounter and embrace their emotions negatively.
Why do you think emotions are navigated differently?

CLICK TO TRY THIS BOOK

Keep the Conversation Going!

Research 101 – Take a few minutes to read, individually or together, about either teen anxiety (https://bit.ly/2MNAa0Q) and/or teen depression (https://bit.ly/2AUx0pH). Take a few minutes to discuss what you read and learned.
Feelings Postings – Once a day, write down how you feel and why on a Post-It Note and stick it to the refrigerator or somewhere else, so everyone can read each other’s answers. After a few days of posting and reading each other’s responses, have a conversation about how everyone felt the past several days.
Acrostic Poem – Create an acrostic poem (https://bit.ly/30qWOEl) using an emotion you have been feeling recently and share your poems with one another.
Rating Journal – Rate yourself on how you feel daily on a scale from 1 – 5. Briefly explain why you gave yourself that number and see if there is a trend, in which you feel certain ways at certain times and/or places. Try to complete a journal entry every day for one week and feel free to do it longer.
Music Connection – Listen to your favorite song and think about what emotions are included. Take a few minutes to reflect and think about the following questions: Can you relate to the emotions included in the song? Do you react the same way when you experience the emotions included in the song? If not, what ways do you react to the emotions mentioned in the lyrics?

Resources for OTHER AGE GROUPS

SEARCH BY GRADE LEVEL…

Navigating Feelings: Pre-K & Kindergarten

Navigating Feelings: First & Second Grade

Navigating Feelings: Third, Fourth & Fifth Grade

Navigating Feelings: Middle School