How Does The Function of Emotions | MARSHA LINEHAN Work?

Emotions are like superpowers that help us deal with everything from a spilled juice box to a big hug.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, and suddenly it breaks. You feel sad, just like when your ice cream melts on a hot day. That’s your emotion telling you something important happened, maybe you really liked that toy.

Now imagine your friend comes over and shares their snack with you. You feel happy, like when you get an extra scoop of ice cream! Your emotions are letting you know how things are going in your world, so you can act on them.

MARSHA LINEHAN, a smart person who studies feelings, says that emotions work like a toolkit. When something happens, like being yelled at or getting a sticker, your brain picks the right emotion to help you react, just like picking the right tool for fixing a toy.

Sometimes, if we don’t know how our emotions are working, it can feel confusing, like having too many tools and not knowing which one to use. But with practice, we learn which feelings match which situations, and that helps us stay calm and happy!