Emotional regulation refers to the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences effectively. It involves initiating, inhibiting, or modulating ones state or behavior in a given situation, including subjective experience (feelings), cognitive responses (thoughts), emotion-related physiological responses (e.g., heart rate or hormonal activity), and emotion-related behavior (bodily actions or expressions) . Emotion regulation is a complex process that includes both the regulation of ones own feelings and the regulation of other peoples feelings.
Emotion regulation can be automatic or controlled, conscious or unconscious, and may have effects at one or more points in the emotion-producing process. Ideally, emotional regulation involves initiating actions triggered by emotions, inhibiting actions triggered by emotions, and modulating responses triggered by emotions.
Emotion dysregulation is the term used to describe an inability to regularly use healthy strategies to diffuse or moderate negative emotions. Emotional regulation disorder is a condition where someone has difficulty managing their feelings, and this inability to adequately regulate emotions is referred to as dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation is a term mental health specialists use for emotional responses that are weakly managed and deviate from the accepted range of positive reactions.
Examples of healthy emotion regulation strategies include writing in a journal, meditation, therapy, taking care of oneself when physically ill, getting adequate sleep, paying attention to negative thoughts that occur before or after strong emotions, and noticing when you need a break and taking it. Emotional regulation is a learned skill and one of the pillars of emotional intelligence. It can help individuals feel balanced and in control of their emotional reactions, stay calm during challenging situations, better manage stress, protect important connections, actively listen to the needs of others, express their needs in constructive ways, and remain professional in work situations.
