Mixed feelings are a part of life. We talk about pros and cons, push and pulls, yes buts or say "I do but I don't". Ambivalence slows us down and and brings down our mood.
The good news is sorting out mixed feelings helps us -- and the children we love -- let go of the challenging (mad sad scared) feelings and find our balance in a more peaceful place. Sorting out lifts our mood. And the benefits don't stop there! Labeling emotions has been found to help people overcome a fear of spiders (Lieberman and Craske), reduce the discomfort of irritable bowel sufferers (Constantinou, Oudenhove, Van Diest), and improve health outcomes for women faced with breast cancer biopsies (Harvard Health).
Children have mixed feelings all the time, and the MyFeelings! toys are perfect visual touchable tools to help them sort those feelings out. Creating an 'emotions sandwich' to show how feelings pile up, or having a child pick stickers on to show what feelings they are aware of is a way of not only labeling a mixture of feelings but sorting out mixed feelings so they can feel better.
More on the improved health outcomes for women a risk for breast cancer: Researchers have found that women in strained marriages have better outcomes when facing a biopsy and are less likely to have positive biopsy when they regularly speak up about how they feel. This is from a study of two groups of women -- both reporting strained marriages. One group of women spoke up frequently and one group did not. The group who spoke up had fewer positive biopsy results! Speaking up reduces the risk of cancer!
So today, take care of yourself and sort out and talk about mixed feelings. Order some stickers for your child, or ask them to show you their 'emotions sandwich.' Here's a little girl who made her sandwich with the MyFeelings! push molds:
P.S. If you need to create your own stickers for a project or event, I order mine from Sticker Mule www.stickermule.com