Emotion Regulation

Do your emotions sometimes feel like they come out of nowhere with overwhelming intensity? Do you find yourself caught off guard by sudden mood changes that others seem to notice before you do? Difficulty with emotion regulation can lead to emotional outbursts, relationship problems, and impulsive decisions that you later regret. Learning to work with your emotions rather than against them can transform how you experience and navigate your daily life.

Understanding Emotion Dysregulation

Emotion regulation challenges can show up in various ways, and you might recognize some of these patterns:

• Emotions that feel sudden, intense, and difficult to predict or control
• Mood swings that others notice or comment on
• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions in situations that don’t seem to warrant such strong reactions
• Difficulty calming down once you’re upset
• Making impulsive decisions when you’re emotional that you later regret
• Relationship conflicts that seem to escalate quickly
• Using unhelpful coping strategies to manage intense feelings
• Feeling like your emotions control you rather than the other way around

Building Emotional Awareness

The goal isn’t to eliminate strong emotions—they’re a natural and important part of being human. Instead, we’ll work together to help you develop greater awareness and skill in managing your emotional responses. In therapy, we’ll focus on:

• Recognizing patterns - Identifying your personal triggers and early warning signs of emotional escalation
• Slowing down the process - Learning techniques to create space between feeling and reacting
• Developing mindful awareness - Building your ability to observe emotions without being overwhelmed by them
• Building coping strategies - Creating a toolkit of sustainable ways to manage intense emotions
• Improving communication - Learning to express your feelings in relationships without causing damage
• Processing underlying issues - Addressing past experiences that may be contributing to emotional intensity

Finding Balance

Learning emotion regulation skills doesn’t mean becoming emotionally numb or suppressing your feelings. Instead, it’s about finding balance—being able to experience the full range of human emotions while maintaining the ability to think clearly, make thoughtful decisions, and maintain healthy relationships.

Many people find that as they develop these skills, their relationships improve, they feel more confident in challenging situations, and they’re able to be more present in their daily lives. You can learn to be with your emotions without being controlled by them.

Primary approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Ready to build a different relationship with your emotions? Contact me to schedule a consultation.