Emotional Regulation May Be a Gift to Yourself This Year

It’s all too easy for self-care buzzwords to cloud true healing options, but emotional regulation is a valid technique to learn because it benefits your life in many ways. For example, if you’re trying to develop more of a growth mindset in recovery, emotional regulation (ER) methods help your progress toward managing thoughts and feelings more effectively. 

Understanding Emotional Regulation

Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews defines ER as “a process by which individuals modify the duration or intensity of their emotions to best respond to environmental challenges. Regulating one’s emotions occurs through utilizing skills to cope with changes in emotional experiences. Emotion regulation can occur internally or externally, with or without support from another individual.”

Mental health professionals note that “assessing and encouraging steps to improve emotional regulation and helping clients to increase awareness of and tolerance for emotional reactivity can be extremely beneficial to improving both quality of life and decreasing the risk of symptoms reaching clinical levels.” 

All emotions are valid, and it’s important to acknowledge them. But how you react to them is key to maintaining good mental health. For example, during treatment, you might have learned essential techniques such as H.A.L.T. to manage triggers or urge surfing to deal with cravings. ER helps you advance to the next level of understanding why you feel a certain way, recognizing this feeling at the moment, and taking action to respond with care rather than defaulting to destructive habits.

What might this look like? Breathe4Change offers these mindful examples of how you might self-regulate when you feel:  

• Angry—“Pause and take a deep breath to calm your thoughts, creating space to respond thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively.” 
• Overwhelmed—“Create a simple to-do list, prioritizing one task at a time to regain focus and reduce stress.” 
• Insecure—“Remind yourself of your worth and embrace your imperfections, knowing you’re more than enough.” 
• Rejected—“Acknowledge the discomfort, knowing rejection is redirection, and an opportunity to grow stronger.” 
• Discouraged—“Show yourself kindness and reconnect with your ‘why,’ using it as fuel to keep moving forward.”

These are skills you’ll continue to build upon that will serve you for the rest of your life.

What Is Emotional Dysregulation?

What many of us experience initially is emotional dysregulation (ED). The Cleveland Clinic notes that ED “is a symptom of differences or issues with how certain parts of your brain communicate or work together. It can be a symptom of mental health conditions. But it’s also very common in people who are neurodivergent. Many people with emotional dysregulation have more than one condition that causes or contributes to it.”

Specifically, the Council for Relationships (CFR) states that people who might have a dual diagnosis featuring anxiety, bipolar disorder, or depression, for example, may struggle with more ED, which leads to impulsive behavior and sudden uncontrolled outbursts. According to CFR, various types of trauma contribute to ED as well, complicating a person’s ability to form and maintain healthy and trusting relationships. 

According to Medical News Today, here are symptoms of ED you may have experienced: 

• Being overwhelmed by your feelings
• Having emotions that are difficult to control
• Experiencing strong reactions to events that wouldn’t affect other people in the same ways
• Quick and intense mood changes
• Increased mental and emotional health disorder symptoms
• Not being able to cope with stress effectively
• Self-harm
• Excessive substance use

The good news is that, with dedicated attention, every person can learn to regulate their emotional responses more effectively. 

5 Additional Tips For Emotional Regulation

Working with a qualified therapist is probably the best way to develop better emotional regulation skills, but here are some techniques to put into practice today: 

1. Practice Mindfulness and Self-Awareness
   Stay present and observe your emotions without judgment. Use dedicated breathwork, meditation, or body scanning to recognize your feelings and their triggers. For instance, pausing to notice your body’s tension can alert you to underlying stress before it escalates.
2. Use Cognitive Reframing
   Challenge negative thoughts and replace them with more constructive ones. Ask yourself questions like: “Is there another way to view this situation?” or “What can I learn from this?” This shift in perspective can reduce emotional intensity and foster problem-solving.
3. Implement the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique
   When overwhelmed, use this sensory exercise to bring yourself back to the present, calm anxiety, and restore focus:

• Acknowledge 5 things you can see.
• Notice 4 things you can touch.
• Listen for 3 sounds.
• Identify 2 things you can smell.
• Focus on 1 thing you can taste.

4. Practice Delayed Reaction
   If you feel an intense emotional response, pause before acting. Count to 10, take a deep breath, or step away from the situation. This mindful moment helps prevent impulsive reactions and allows you to respond more thoughtfully.
5. Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms
   Channel strong emotions into positive outlets such as journaling, exercising, or engaging in creative activities. These practices help you process emotions productively rather than suppressing or amplifying them. 

The Whole-Person Treatment Philosophy at Seabrook

Our four award-winning treatment centers in New Jersey are CARF-accredited facilities—a designation that ensures best practices in behavioral health and evidence-based addiction recovery. We rely on the Seabrook Model to help you move beyond your symptoms and into a space of true healing. Ask a member of our admissions team how our approach to individualized treatment can help you.