Everyone Has Feelings and Needs Reading Comprehension Lesson

Feelings Are Clues About Yourself

Part of being human is having feelings and needs. Feelings — or emotions — depend on a lot of things. You may feel happy, sad, angry, or content depending on what is happening around you. Feelings also depend on how you think about what is happening. For example, you might feel angry if a classmate calls you a name. But if you stop and think about it — and remind yourself that what they said is not true — you may be able to turn that angry feeling into a calm feeling. The way you think about a situation has a powerful effect on how you feel about it.

Even though some feelings feel better than others, feelings themselves are not good or bad. We have feelings to give us clues about ourselves. If you feel happy, it is probably because of something you are doing or thinking. If you feel sad, your feelings may be telling you that something in your life needs to change. Sometimes the only thing you need to change is the way you think about something — especially things you can’t control, like other people’s choices.

If your body feels tense and you have butterflies in your stomach, you may be feeling stress. Stress is unpleasant, but it is also normal — everyone feels it sometimes. The important thing is to learn how to manage it. When stress lasts too long, it can make you sick or hurt your relationships with friends and family. If you feel stressed about a test, try telling yourself that you have studied your best. Take a few deep breaths. Remind yourself that you can handle the situation. When your thoughts calm down, your body usually calms down too.

The Difference Between Needs and Wants

Needs are another part of being human, but there is a big difference between a need and a want. We sometimes think we need something — like the latest pair of jeans or a new video game — but those are really just things we want. A real need is something that is necessary for physical, mental, or emotional health. All humans have basic physical needs for food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and clean air. Without these things, we would not survive.

We also have important emotional needs. We need love and connection from family and friends. We need to feel safe in our homes and schools. We need to feel respected and to know that we matter to someone. When these emotional needs are met, we generally feel content and confident. When they are not met, we may feel sad, lonely, or anxious. Recognizing the difference between an emotional need and a passing want can help you understand your own feelings — and can help you support friends who may be struggling.

Wants are not bad. It is perfectly fine to want fun things, nice clothes, or new experiences. The trouble starts when we treat our wants as if they were needs. If we believe we need something we don’t actually need, we can become unhappy when we don’t get it. Learning to tell the difference between a need and a want is an important step toward emotional maturity. So is learning that other people have needs too — and that helping someone meet their needs is one of the most powerful ways to build a strong friendship.

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