Improving emotional regulation and how it can help

Wellness means something different for every individual. Wellness is emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, or an intertwining of all of these. When we encounter daily struggles such as  frustration, stress, anger, or sadness, wellness can be challenging to experience. 

Our daily struggles can make us tired and unmotivated to try to feel better. Our brains tend to hold more negative emotions and feelings than positive. The habit of focusing on our negative emotions and experiences throughout the day can spiral into affecting our thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and even our physical well-being.

Emotional regulation is one strategy we can practice to help us in times of frustration, stress, or anger. Emotional regulation is finding ways to manage your shifting emotions through the day and in our overall lives. 

Emotional regulation practices are fully individual. 

Finding an emotional regulation strategy that works for you is very important in being able to have balanced emotions through your day and experience wellness. 

Pick a healthy emotional regulation strategy and try it for a week: 

• Go on a walk

• Talk to a friend

• Meditate 

• Practice breathing exercises

• Exercise

• Talk with a therapist

• Go outside & get some sun (super important in Minnesota’s winter)

• Read a book, magazine, poetry

Meditation & Wellness Stats 

In 2012, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health conducted a study on the impact of meditation. Out of the 34,525 adults surveyed, only 1.9 percent answered that they have practiced mindfulness meditation over the past year. Of that 1.9 percent, 73 percent of those adults practice meditation for general wellness and disease prevention and 92 percent use it to relax or reduce stress. 

It is important to be aware of how you react to stressful or frustrating situations. Awareness allows you to learn healthy ways to keep your emotions regulated.  

Keep track of what emotional regulation practices work for you and which ones don't. 

You can use the emotional regulation practices that work for you in all aspects of your life!