What is Emotion Regulation -And Why You Need it!

Stress is the mind and body's natural response to situations that we may perceive to be threatening or dangerous. Everyone experiences some level of stress daily that may be rooted in problems related to academics, occupation family, relationships, health, finances, and more. If left unaddressed, long term stress can be detrimental to physical, emotional, and psychological well being. For instance, it is shown to be related to medical issues such as sleep problems, high blood pressure, weakened immune systems, and cardiac problems.

The first step to managing stress is understanding how it feels. Our bodies provide us signals to indicate when we are in distress and prepare us to face a threat or flee to safety. This is rooted in the biological bases of the human brain, our fight or flight response. In these situations, your pulse quickens, you breathe faster, your muscles tense, and your brain uses more oxygen and increases activity—all functions aimed at survival and in response to stress. This automatic response was developed in our ancient ancestors as a way to protect them from predators and other threats.

So how does stress work? Well according to cognitive theory, our thoughts influence our feelings which influence our behaviors and vice versa. When we manage our unhelpful or negative thoughts, we promote positive feelings and then exhibit positive behaviors. So what can you do to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and beahviors? Emotion Regulation is the ability to respond to ongoing demands of experiences with the range of emotions in a manner that is flexible to promote adaptive, goal-oriented behaviors. Without useful coping tools, we may become numb to different experiences, avoid uncomfortable or overwhelming emotions, feel uneasy, develop emotional instability, be quick responses to minor stressors, or rapidly escalate our emotional responses. On the flip side, emotion regulation allows us to maintain awareness of stress triggers, practice selective attention, and appropriately use our words to express ourselves. Ultimately, the goal of emotion regulation is to help us address stress before it gets to the point of negative consequences, it is a preventative measure.

Tune in this Thursday to learn more about the different ways to practice emotion regulation!