When you are a teen, experiencing humiliation can be an incredibly painful experience to go through. In order to get through this challenging moment in a healthy way and process your emotions in a healthy way, there are a number of things you can do.
Tips and Advice for Teen Humiliation
After a humiliating experience has taken place, it is important to address the emotions that you are feeling after having been exposed to them. When you do so, you will not only be able to increase your resiliency, you will also be able to learn from this experience in the future.
Talk to a Trusted Adult
There is no doubt that the process of releasing the emotions you are experiencing can be aided by speaking with an adult you can rely on. When you are ready to talk with them, you might want to consider whether you want advice or if you just want someone to hear about the experiences you have had.
When you let them know what you need from them, they can be able to provide you with the type of comfort and support you are looking for.
Reach Out to a Friend
It can be helpful to talk to a friend about your experience in order to process it. In order to gain some perspective, it is helpful to speak to someone who is close to your age.
A child might be able to understand what you’re going through a bit better and provide you with some support that an adult might not be able to.
Seek Counseling
You may want to consult with a professional counselor if you have been experiencing uncomfortable symptoms and talking to a friend or family member does not seem to be helping. A professional counselor may be able to help you work through this problem.
In the event that you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, or you are thinking about or have engaged in self-harming behaviors, it is imperative that you notify an adult right away, or call the police so that you can get help as soon as possible.
Call a Hotline
There are a number of hotlines available for teens specifically geared towards helping them work through difficult experiences in their lives.
You can call any of these anonymously, and a trained peer counselor or a professional counselor will be able to listen to your experience and give you advice if necessary.
Journal
The process of getting the emotions out of your system while processing the situation can be made easier by writing down what you experienced. As soon as you have finished writing your journal, you can destroy the pages, or put the journal away to symbolically signify the release of the experience that you have had.
Process With Bystanders
It may be helpful for you to speak with your companion about what happened during the incident if you were with them at the time. This will give you a chance to hear what they have to say about what happened.
It is sometimes possible that when emotions become heightened, the story can be skewed in a way that makes you feel even worse in the end.
Confront the Situation
In the event that there are no safety issues, confronting the individual who played a role in humiliating you may be helpful if there were no safety issues involved. It is important that you speak with them honestly and convey your feelings to them.
It is recommended that you go into this with no expectations regarding their response and simply use this as an opportunity to let go of what you are feeling and maybe even be able to resolve this issue for yourself.
Set Processing Boundaries With Yourself
It is important to set aside times where you allow yourself to fully feel your emotions if you are having trouble controlling your emotions, or if you are experiencing emotional outbursts. Whenever you think of the humiliated content during the allotted time, imagine it floating away from your mind whenever the thought returns to it.
It is important to remind yourself that you will have ample time to process your emotions, and for now, you should focus on other things while you process your emotions.
Put the Experience in Perspective
It’s important to remember that, even if it seems like this situation is going to last forever, at the end of the day, you’re probably just dealing with a blip on the radar in the scheme of your life.
No matter who you are or what you are doing, it is important to remember that everyone feels humiliated or embarrassed at some point in their lives.
Release the Emotions
If you are able to process the experience fully, then you can begin to release the emotions that have been stored in your body as a result of the experience. Try doing progressive muscle relaxation while imagining that you are drifting away into the air and disappearing as your intense emotions drift away into the air.
Working Through Teen Humiliation
Reaching out for support can help you move through this upsetting moment. Remember that everyone goes through difficult experiences at one time and learning how to cope in a healthy way is an incredibly valuable tool.