Do your emotions ever take the wheel before you’ve had a chance to think? One minute, you’re calm—then suddenly, you’re not in the mood or you feel overwhelmed by negative emotions. You’re not alone!
Emotions are powerful. And for parents, it’s even more difficult to regulate your emotions. This is especially true when you’re trying to discipline children who resort to temper tantrums and verbal outbursts the moment you even try to speak.
Meltdowns often signal that a child is struggling with emotional regulation. After all, you can’t expect the same level of emotional intelligence from an underdeveloped brain.
But here’s the hard truth: even adults can suffer from emotional dysregulation that leads to burnout and mental health conditions. The only difference is that there’s more patience for kids who are learning to manage emotions, while adults are already expected to handle their emotions and behaviors with more control.
What Does It Mean to Handle Your Emotions?
Managing emotions doesn’t equate to ignoring or suppressing them. Emotional regulation involves acquiring coping skills and cultivating self-awareness—the ability to recognize and understand your emotions as they arise.
Likewise, managing emotions effectively doesn’t mean you’re supposed to feel good 24/7. If you never feel sad, then something is definitely off!
Emotion regulation means not letting your emotions dictate your behavior or control your daily life. For example, it’s completely normal to feel sad or even angry when relationships fail, but those feelings shouldn’t lead to self-harm or cause you to lose focus on your responsibilities.
To put it simply, you need to understand the meaning of discipline. Effective emotional regulation and self-discipline go hand in hand. Together, they enable you to respond thoughtfully, instead of reacting impulsively. Therefore, you can navigate difficult emotions in healthy ways.
How to Take Charge of Negative Emotions
You don’t need to bottle up your emotions. By developing self-discipline, you can manage unpleasant emotions and process those difficult feelings without letting them overwhelm you. Just as important, mastering this skill contributes to mental health and helps build resilience.
Step 1: Pause Before Reacting
Strong emotions drive any person to act quickly, but it’s wise not to rush in. For starters, take a deep breath. Studies show that deep breathing actually reduces stress and anxiety.
Step 2: Name What You’re Feeling
The second step is to recognize what emotion you’re experiencing, especially when you’re dealing with negative feelings, such as stress, anger, or emotional pain. Simple, I know, but it’s tried and true! When you own your emotions instead of denying them, you gain a sense of control and the ability to develop healthy coping techniques.
Step 3: Find the Trigger
Understand that people have different emotional triggers based on their beliefs, values, and personalities, shaped by their upbringing, past experiences, or mental health conditions like borderline personality disorder.
It’s important to be honest with yourself so that you can recognize your responses and develop healthy coping strategies. Rather than resorting to denial or avoidance as a coping mechanism, you can assess whether you might have mental health issues that warrant guidance from a mental health professional.
Step 4: Positive Self Talk
Nope, it’s not crazy. Instead of letting negative thoughts run wild and sabotage your efforts, cheer yourself up and tackle challenges with confidence. Success starts with a positive mindset!
Step 5: Have a Healthy Outlet
Bottling up overwhelming emotions only gives room for them to grow and eventually overflow. Instead of keeping them inside and getting depression, find healthy ways to release those feelings.
Try relaxation exercises, journaling, or doing something wholesome with a friend or family member. Whether it’s a new creative hobby or simply talking things out, these coping techniques help keep your mental health in check.
Be Kind to Your Mental Health By Taking Charge of Your Emotions
Emotion regulation isn’t about shutting your feelings down. It’s about building self-discipline and learning to respond with intention. Focus on what truly matters, such as preserving relationships and achieving goals, instead of choosing temporary relief.
Not every situation needs to turn into a big deal or is worth paying attention to. The more you practice, the more natural it becomes. You don’t have to stay trapped in emotional loops that take a toll on your physical health and mental well-being. You’re proving to yourself that you’re capable, grounded, and in control. Now, that’s real personal growth!