In this third piece of a five-part series on the fundamental tools that should be in our self-care tool chests when we come from relational trauma backgrounds, we explore another proverbial drawer: emotion regulation tools.

I gave a high-level overview of this in my first piece in this series, but emotion regulation refers to the ability to manage and respond to an emotional experience in a positive and adaptive way.

It involves recognizing and naming, understanding the signal value of, and managing one’s emotions in a functional and healthy way to navigate life’s ups and downs effectively.

This skill is crucial for maintaining mental and emotional well-being, allowing us all to handle stress, maintain relationships, and achieve personal goals.

So, emotion regulation tools are the practices, interventions, and skills that help us achieve this.

Now, let’s add some more tools to your proverbial toolbox by exploring some concrete strategies for each of those primary tasks I listed—recognizing and naming, understanding the signal value of, and managing your emotions in an adaptive way.

1. Naming emotions

One of the first steps in emotion regulation is to accurately identify and name your emotions. This process, often referred to as “emotion labeling,” can help bring clarity and........

© Psychology Today