Adult Emotion Regulation (Therapy & Emotion Regulation)
Adult Emotion Regulation (Therapy & Emotion Regulation)
Stellar Insight Counseling Blog | Online Therapist in Alaska
This information is provided as general knowledge and may be used for self-improvement purposes but may not be used as medical advice or treatment.
If you notice any changes in your health consult with your healthcare providers.
How Therapy can Help Emotion Regulation
Psychotherapy (also known as: counseling or therapy) is used to treat mental health concerns: PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, attachment issues, relationships, behavioral issues, emotional dysregulation, and sleep disorders, to name a few.
Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation (also called, emotional regulation) is one’s awareness of psychological and emotional health and the ability to influence those emotions. Emotional regulation activities help adults process:
- Daily emotion-inducing situations (e.g., road rage, being late to a meeting, realizing in the middle of cooking you are missing an ingredient)
- Stress
- Trauma
- Mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD)
- Grief or loss
- Receiving a new health diagnosis
- Life transitions (e.g., moving, starting college at any age, becoming a parent)
In my experience, worry, fear, low self-esteem, and anger are the most common feelings which compel people to find help through counseling.
45 Regulation Activities for Adults
Emotions v. Feelings
Emotions are sensations that arise in the body consciously and subconsciously; feelings are informed from emotions and conscious thoughts.
Feelings are learned, while emotions are often more complex to understand.
Many folks already use emotion regulation skills without even knowing it!
Emotional health is an element of well-being; some reactions are more desirable or adaptive than others.
Noticing road rage and taking a moment to un-rage, feeling sad about a favorite team losing but not letting it takeover one’s day, feeling giddy about a new promotion but managing to keep it “hush-hush,” performing an activity to influence emotions in place of using substances, are a few examples of ways that adults use emotion regulation.
When children experience dysregulation it may be called a “temper tantrum” (an outdated term), which describes a child expressing big feelings in a “noticeable” manner.
Part of childhood involves caregivers teaching children how to identify feelings and how to express emotions in a socially acceptable and safe way.
Regulation & Dysregulation
Emotional regulation is the ability to “handle things well.” Emotional dysregulation refers to instances when emotions and feelings are unsuitably expressed.
Signs of Emotion Dysregulation
- Emotion dysregulation may feel like one or more of these experiences:
- Being quick to anger
- Ineffective stress management
- Feeling easily overwhelmed, stressed, or overextended
- Difficulty controlling angry behaviors such as yelling or breaking/throwing objects
- Recurrent unhealthy conflict in relationships
- Excessive worrying about the future or past
- Struggling to feel safe in one’s body (such as, following a trauma)
Frequent emotional dysregulation, or bluntly, “not handling feelings well,” may also impact adults in other ways:
- Poor sleep quality
- Higher levels of stress (Stress & Mental Health)
- Changes in appetite or diet
- Unsatisfying relationships
- Low self-esteem and confidence
17 Emotion Regulation Activities for Adults
How Therapy Can Support Emotional Health
People seek therapy when either their psychological, behavioral, social, or emotional health interferes with the life they want to live.
Emotional regulation skills help people feel their feelings in a healthy and relieving manner.
It is common to feel uncomfortable sensations in response to uncomfortable situations, and to feel ill-equipped to process those feelings.
Therapy is helpful for adults seeking to learn new emotion regulation skills through:
- Developing awareness of triggers
- Identifying feelings and sensations
- And practicing new ways to manage uncomfortable sensations (that actually work!)
Signs of Healthy Emotional Regulation
- Feeling confident to handle a stressful situation
- Prioritizing daily self-care habits such as mindfulness
- Feeling frustrated and being able to “keep your cool”
- Noticing anger and taking a walk outside to regulate
- Talking to other people about your feelings
Individual, group, or family therapy may be appropriate for people seeking self-improvement or decreasing mental health symptoms relating to emotion dysregulation.
It is more socially acceptable for a baby than an adult to cry in public when feeling sad; emotion regulation skills are useful throughout the lifetime and are opportunities to learn about oneself.
Many/most adults face new experiences and do not know how to face them confidently or adaptively.
Therapy can help fill the gaps in questions like, “why did I react that way?” and discovering alternate responses in the future.
Emotional health is an aspect of overall health; and you are not the first or last adult who wants to handle things better.
About the Author
Nicole Zegiestowsky, M.S. (she/her)
Hello!
My name is Nicole and I am a pre-licensed therapist in Alaska pursuing my LPC (Supervisor is Psychologist Dr. Ekstrom #196093, #125200).
I offer online individual and group counseling services to LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent (ADHD/Autism) adults in Alaska.
If you live in Alaska and are searching for a new therapist, call me today for a free 20-minute initial consultation.