Emotions are an integral part of life; we experience emotions
daily. Emotions could be positive or negative depending upon the situation. Exhaustion,
stress, or illness may arise negative emotions such as anger, aggression, and
sadness. Similarly, we feel happy about passing exams, buying our favorite things,
job promotions, and meeting with friends and family. All these are natural
experiences and it is very important to stabilize these emotions. However,
sometimes we feel overwhelmed and respond in unreasonable ways and later regret
it as our response affects our relations (1).
Emotional regulation
It refers to balancing our emotions and using them in a favorable way. It involves thinking and reflecting upon the situation and trying to calm down. It helps to avoid situations that later lead to regret, depression, and frustration.
Emotional regulation theory
The most acceptable theory of emotional regulation is the process
model, which has four components.
1. Situation: Emotional cycle starts in a situation that could be internal or external. When you imagine a scenario in your mind it is an internal situation whereas an external situation could be a harsh comment from a colleague.
Attention: Then
you pay attention to the situation such as you noticed that your colleague is
in an aggressive mood.
Appraisal: You
interpret the situation and think that you have made some mistake or your
colleague had an argument with the boss.
Response: The
above sequence of events may trigger you and you will respond in one of the
following ways a) go away from the situation b) tell your colleague that his
behavior hurt you c) talk to him aggressively (2).
The emotions could be regulated in all these stages. Emotional regulation is a basic life skill that needs to be mastered. A few steps are described here to learn emotional regulation.
1. Recognition
First of all, recognize that you are experiencing an emotional response
and understand what kind of response it is either negative or positive.
2. Acceptance
Accepting the emotional response is an important step towards self-control
and self-healing. Even if your emotions are negative, such as feeling angry
after fighting with your friend or distressed as your child broke the favorite
vase, accept your feelings rather than rejecting or suppressing them.
3. Management
Once you have recognized and accepted your emotions try to manage
them by implementing an effective strategy (3).
Various strategies are used to cope with emotional dysregulation, however, be
mindful in choosing the coping strategy because some strategies could be
unhealthy.
Healthy emotional regulation strategies
1. Speak out to your friend
Exercise
Meditate
Write about your feelings
Read a good book
Get adequate sleep
Eat dessert or your favorite meal as it activates the reward
system
Take a break from an exhaustive routine
Take good care of yourself if suffering from some disease
Check your negative thoughts before an emotional outburst
S Seek therapy if the above strategies do not work for you (1).
6. Unhealthy emotional regulation strategies
1. Use of alcohol or other harmful substances
2. Self-harm
3. Abuse others both verbally and physically
4. Escaping tough situations
5. Wasting time and money (1).
Conclusion
We
all experience emotions that could be negative or positive. People often try to
regulate their emotional response however, sometimes failed due to being
unaware of the proper management strategies. Adopting healthy coping strategies
is very important to create an emotional balance.
References
1.http://www.selfinjury.bctr.cornell.edu/perch/resources/what-is-emotion-regulationsinfo-brief.pdf
2.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01373/full
3.https://www.verywellmind.com/emotion-regulation-skills-training-425374#citation-4
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