EMOTIONAL REGULATION

Emotional regulation involves effectively managing your emotions and maintaining balance, even when you face difficult or stressful times in your life.

Techniques such as reframing and gratitude provide a powerful tool to shift perspective and create a more constructive mindset.

Reframing

Reframing, which we covered at the start of the course, asks you to look at your situation from a different angle, helping you shift your perspective and offering a different view of your relationships and personal experiences.

Gratitude

Gratitude is another powerful tool for emotional regulation, forcing us to shift our focus from the negative aspects of a situation to the positive. It encourages a conscious reflection on the various aspects of your life that bring joy, fulfilment, or a sense of abundance.

Take a moment to create a list of all the things you feel grateful for. The list can encompass a wide range of elements, from tangible possessions and achievements to intangible qualities such as relationships, personal growth, or moments of simple joy. Consider aspects of your life that may be easily overlooked, like supportive relationships, personal accomplishments, good health, opportunities for learning, or moments of serenity and beauty in your surroundings.

As you compile this list, reflect on how each item contributes to your overall wellbeing and happiness. Engaging in this practice regularly can create a positive feedback loop, encouraging a mindset that actively seeks out and appreciates the positive aspects of your life. Keep your list to hand and look back on it whenever you feel overwhelmed or experience challenging emotions. By consciously focusing on gratitude, you not only enhance your emotional well-being but also cultivate a greater sense of resilience in the face of challenges.

Both of these techniques can take time to master, but it is worth persevering with them as they are an enormous help when going through difficult times.

A Balanced Life

Taking a proactive approach to emotional regulation is a sensible thing to do and helps you to address emotions before they escalate, which is a crucial aspect of emotional self-care.

Picture your emotional well-being as a house supported by stilts. Each stilt represents a coping mechanism, a self-care practice, or a support system. The more stilts you have in place, the more stable and resilient your emotional foundation becomes. However, if your emotional house relies on just a few stilts, the removal of one can quickly lead to instability, making emotions sway dramatically.

The “house on stilts” analogy underscores the importance of building a robust emotional support system before facing challenging situations. Engaging in activities that bring joy, maintaining healthy relationships, and establishing coping mechanisms create a network of stilts that hold up your emotional well-being. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of being overwhelmed when faced with adversity, as you have a solid foundation of emotional resources to draw upon.

Use the worksheet to evaluate the areas in your life and the strength of your ‘stilts’.