Introduction to Managing and Navigating Strong Feelings

Every one of us grapples with powerful emotions at various points in life. Even though they might seem overpowering, it's entirely possible, and within your capability, to manage them. This brief piece introduces you to the basics of emotions and how we can regulate them.

Think about why love can lead us to impulsive actions, or why anger might make us feel like a different person. These feelings aren't always tied to what's happening around us but are more about how we handle our strong emotions. Our brain, not the heart, drives and regulates these responses.

Emotions are psychological, physical, and behavioural reactions. They emerge from the interplay between cognitive (thoughts) and affective (emotions) processes, influenced by various factors such as our environment and self-perception.

Sometimes, strong emotions can feel like they're controlling us, leading to a sense that we've lost rational thought. However, emotions both regulate and require regulation. When this process is disrupted or ineffective, we call it emotion dysregulation.

Parents play a crucial role in shaping their child's emotional regulation. Inconsistent validation of a child's emotions can lead to emotional dysregulation. Also, emotional regulation is strongly linked to attachment, which develops within the parent-child relationship.

There are three primary ways to regulate emotions: reappraisal (changing our perception of an emotional situation), suppression (experiencing an emotion but inhibiting its behavioural expression), and acceptance (acknowledging the emotion without trying to modify or suppress it).

In essence, dealing with intense emotions is a part of life. The key isn't to avoid them, but to learn to navigate them in a healthy and efficient manner.