"I can't take it anymore!"
Kaito slammed the club room door.
Sora turned around in surprise. "Kaito, what happened?"
"Nothing's going right. I feel like I'm going to explode, and I can't stop it."
Hiyori asked calmly while making tea. "What happened?"
"Nothing major. That makes it even more frustrating." Kaito sat on the floor. "I get angry over small things and hate myself for it."
Sora sat next to him. "Everyone has days when they can't control their emotions."
"But I have too many," Kaito held his head.
Hiyori said while making tea, "Shall we talk a bit about emotional control?"
Kaito looked up. "Can emotions be controlled?"
"Not completely," Hiyori answered honestly. "But they can be regulated."
"Regulated?"
"Not eliminating the emotion itself, but adjusting how it's expressed and its intensity."
Sora opened her notebook. "Emotional regulation, or emotional intelligence."
Hiyori continued explaining. "Emotional intelligence has several components. Recognition, understanding, regulation, and utilization of emotions."
"Recognition?" Kaito asked.
"First, noticing what you're feeling. Anger, sadness, anxiety, impatience."
Kaito thought. "Right now... I feel anger, pathetic, and impatient all mixed together."
"Good observation," Hiyori acknowledged. "Emotions aren't simple—they're complexly intertwined."
Sora added, "Naming emotions is the first step in regulation itself."
"Why?"
"By verbalizing, you create distance from the emotion," Hiyori answered. "You're not consumed by it—you can observe it."
Kaito tried. "I am angry. But underneath that is anxiety."
"What anxiety?" Hiyori asked gently.
"Anxiety that I'm a worthless person," Kaito said quietly.
Sora said softly, "That might be the real cause of the anger."
Hiyori nodded. "There's a concept called secondary emotions. Another emotion layers on top of the initial feeling."
"Anger hides the real emotion," Kaito understood.
"Yes. Anger is easy to recognize. But anxiety and sadness are hard to acknowledge."
Sora gave an example. "When criticized and you get angry, you might actually be hurt."
"Anger as defense," Hiyori explained. "Wearing the armor of anger to protect a vulnerable self."
Kaito sighed. "So what should I do?"
"First, don't deny the emotion," Hiyori answered. "Not 'I shouldn't be angry' but 'there's an angry me.'"
"Acceptance?"
"Yes. Emotions aren't bad. They carry messages."
Sora explained, "Anger is a message that 'something is unfair.' Anxiety is a message that 'something is a threat.'"
"Reading emotions as signals," Kaito understood.
Hiyori continued, "Next, separate emotion from action. Feeling anger and acting on anger are different things."
"Feeling is OK, but you can choose how to express it?"
"Exactly. This is emotional regulation."
Kaito asked, "How specifically?"
"Use breathing," Hiyori demonstrated. "Breathe deeply and slowly. Just this calms the autonomic nervous system."
Sora added, "Body and mind are connected. Calming the body calms the mind."
"Taking a timeout is also effective," Hiyori continued. "Leave the situation and wait for the emotion to settle."
Kaito tried it. Three deep breaths. The tightness in his chest eased a little.
"I feel a bit better."
"That's emotional regulation," Hiyori smiled.
Sora introduced another approach. "There's also a concept called mindfulness."
"Mindfulness?"
"Paying attention to the present moment without judgment. Observing emotions without judging them."
Hiyori explained, "Not 'I am angry' but 'the emotion of anger is appearing.'"
"Not identifying with the emotion," Kaito understood.
"Yes. Emotions are like weather. They come and go."
Kaito looked out the window. "But when you're in the storm, you can't see that."
"That's why practice is necessary," Hiyori said. "When calm, develop the habit of observing emotions."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Keeping an emotion journal is also a good method."
"A journal?"
"Write down the emotions you felt each day. Patterns emerge."
Hiyori added, "What triggers them, how you react. Self-understanding deepens."
Kaito thought deeply. "Even if there are days when I can't control my emotions, that's natural?"
"Very natural," Hiyori emphasized. "No one has perfect emotional control."
"What matters," Sora continued, "is getting back up after failure."
Kaito laughed a little. "Not being controlled by emotions, but living with them."
"Good expression," Hiyori acknowledged. "Emotions aren't enemies—they're allies."
"Clues to knowing yourself," Sora added.
Kaito stood up. "It doesn't have to be perfect. Just get better little by little."
Hiyori nodded. "That mindset is the first step to growth."
The three sat quietly in the club room. Swaying in the waves of emotion, yet still moving forward.
"Thank you," Kaito said. "I feel a bit lighter."
"That's important," Hiyori smiled. "Not carrying it alone."
Sora closed her notebook. "Even on days when you can't control emotions, it's okay."
Kaito opened the window. Wind entered the club room. Emotions flow like wind. Trusting that, live in the present.