Disclaimer: The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
When considering how healthy someone is, society tends to focus on physical health aspects such as eating right and getting enough exercise. While these are vital tenets of well-being, they don’t paint the whole picture of a person’s overall health. Our emotional state is just as critical to our well-being, as it determines how we think, act, behave, interact with other people, and engage with the world around us.
Those who are emotionally healthy tend to perform better at work and school, recover from stress and challenges more quickly, live longer, lead more satisfying lives, and develop stronger, more satisfying relationships. Thus, it can be essential to know how to maintain emotional wellness.
A significant factor that can determine our emotional wellness is our ability to regulate our emotions effectively. In this article, we’ll be covering three strategies for building emotional regulation and discussing how they can help you maintain a healthy emotional state.
What Is Emotional Regulation?
Emotional regulation refers to the ability to identify, understand, and control your emotions. Most people learn this skill as a child, but others don’t begin to grasp the concept until later in life. Regulating your emotions is often easier said than done, especially when it comes to negative emotions like anger, fear, and sadness. However, it is possible to grow in this area.
3 Strategies For Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is a skill that can be improved over time, particularly with the right tools. Here are three strategies that can help you learn how to identify and control your emotional reactions:
- Take a step back.
When you’re experiencing strong emotions, it can be beneficial to take a step back and create some space between yourself and the person or situation that triggered you. Emotions can lead to impulsive actions and words, which you may end up regretting later. Before responding to something, take some time to calm down and carefully consider what you can do next to help your cause.
- Get moving.
Physical activity can be a powerful way to blow off steam and cope with difficult emotions. It also helps reduce stress and boosts feel-good hormones called endorphins, allowing you to feel happier and calmer. So, the next time you’re feeling stressed out, overwhelmed, or confused, try taking your frustration out in the gym instead of on another person.
- Try therapy.
If you’re still struggling with emotional regulation, it could be useful to connect with a therapist. Therapists may use several different therapeutic approaches and techniques to assist you, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, or dialectical behavior therapy. They can give you tools and tricks for developing emotional regulation skills and offer encouragement along the way. You can meet with a therapist locally or online, depending on your needs and preferences.
Mastering The Art Of Emotional Regulation
Many people are in the habit of letting their emotions control them instead of learning how to control their emotions. This can be a challenging way to live, as life often takes unexpected twists and turns, pulling us along for the ride whether we like it or not. By mastering the art of emotional regulation, you can stay calm and collected even when things don’t go your way and respond to life instead of reacting to it.
Like any new skill, emotional regulation can take time and patience to learn. However, the rewards you can reap from it can lead to a healthier, more fulfilling life in which you can gain self-awareness and grow in your understanding of yourself and other people.