Emotion regulation is our ability to effectively respond to an emotional experience. It includes remaining in control of our behaviour despite our emotional state, and keeping our emotions at a tolerable level. Here are some steps towards improved emotion regulation:
- Learn to recognize and label emotions. Being aware of our feelings is the first step in successful emotion regulation. If we can identify our feelings when they are little, we can take steps to stop those feelings from becoming big and overwhelming.
- Seek balance in life. We all have challenges but we can deal with them more easily when we also have good things in our life. To increase our resiliency, attend to our physical and mental health and build positive experiences into our lives.
- Find activities that help sooth you or distract you when your emotions are strong. These could be anything from watching TV, reading a book, going for a walk, meditating, cleaning the house, having a bath, lighting scented candles, or chopping wood. The list is endless. Experiment and find out what works for you.
- Learn to recognize those things we have control over, and those things we don’t. If there is something we can do to change the situation, do it. If it is outside of our control, accept the reality of that and let it go.
- Since many of our strong emotions are triggered by other people, learning effective communication skills can help us keep interpersonal conflict from escalating. Assertive communication and “I” statements are two examples.