What Is Emotion Regulation?

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We don’t learn about emotions in our emotion-phobic society.

Education in emotions is a gap that needs filling.

To regulate the nervous system, we have to work with our emotions and, therefore, understand them.

We spend years learning about math, reading, science, and history. But why are we not taught about our emotions? After all, emotions affect us each and every day. And contrary to what you might think (because we don’t hear about it), there are things to know that can profoundly help our emotional health and teach us a path to easing and healing anxiety and depression.

Furthermore, with all the current talk on the importance of regulating our nervous system, why would we not be taught early on how to accept, validate, and work with our emotions? These skills and teachings go hand-in-hand with nervous system regulation.

What Is a Dysregulated Nervous System?

A dysregulated nervous system is when your body’s alarm system is stuck in high alert or shutdown, making it harder to feel calm, think clearly, or respond flexibly to what’s happening around you. For example, someone may receive a mildly critical email from their boss and immediately feel their heart race, stomach tighten, and mind go blank, as if they are in danger, even though they are actually safe.

Blocked, buried, and avoided emotions are a prime way the nervous system becomes dysregulated. We can reverse this process by finally validating and moving through emotions that have previously been out of touch.

Most of us grow up knowing very little about how emotions actually work in the mind and body. We may........

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