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Written By: Lauren Geall, Stylist
Struggling to keep your emotions in check? One recent study could offer some answers.
To say the last few years have been emotionally overwhelming would be a bit of an understatement. From anxiety and loneliness to frustration and sadness, the coronavirus pandemic has certainly been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.
It’s why the concept of ‘emotional plurality’ is expected to be so prominent over the next couple of years – the world is moving so fast that our emotions are struggling to keep up, leaving many people dealing with a whirlwind of different emotions all at once.
However, while it’s clear that we’ll all need to learn to adapt to the experience of emotional plurality over the next couple of years, there are things you can do to work through your emotions and take some of the weight off your shoulders – and that’s where a new study comes in. The research, published in the academic journal Canadian Psychology, tackles the subject of emotional dysregulation – a term that refers to an inability to manage emotions or keep them in check.
As well as defining this concept, and looking into when emotional dysregulation becomes a problem, the study’s authors also explore how to process overwhelming emotions and keep them under control – and the tips are genuinely helpful. They include:
· Making time for whatever you’re feeling, and dedicating a few minutes in a comfortable setting to just sit with whatever is going on
· Noticing the physical sensations which come with the emotion you’re feeling
· Attempting to give the emotion a name (it’s not always as easy as it sounds)
· Reflecting on whether the emotion was a justified response to the situation you’re facing, or whether it’s coming from somewhere else
· If it’s justified, ask yourself what the emotion is telling you, and what action you can take next. This could include showing yourself some self-compassion, or talking to someone about what you’re feeling
· If the emotion isn’t justified, try and see if there’s a way you could reframe the situation you’re reacting to, or what you might say to a friend in that situation
To read the rest of this article click this link: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/emotional-wellbeing-6-easy-methods-to-turn-to-when-you-re-feeling-emotionally-overwhelmed?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
As Stylist’s digital writer, Lauren Geall writes on topics including mental health, wellbeing and women’s issues. She’s also a big fan of houseplants and likes to dabble in film and TV from time-to-time. You can find her on Twitter at @laurenjanegeall.
