Emotional Regulation - Step 1
Mood Tracking: A Guide for Clients
Mood tracking can be a powerful technique for clients who are having difficulty identifying the source of negative emotions. Patterns in moods might be difficult to detect during the hurry of day-to-day life, but they jump out from a completed mood chart.
Instructions:
- Download the Weekly Mood Chart: Begin by downloading the Weekly Mood Chart provided here (track a couple of times and if you interrupted sleep)
- Carry the Mood Chart for Seven Days: Keep it in a convenient location, such as your purse or wallet, so you can easily access it throughout the day.
- Jot Down Notes: In each square of the mood chart, jot down a few notes about your mood. Entries can be as simple as "anxious", "happy", "can't sleep (worrying)", or "neutral". Be honest and specific about how you're feeling in each moment.
- Include Daily Activities: It's important to write down a short reminder of what you did each day alongside your mood entries. This will help your understand your emotional patterns and identify potential triggers or stressors.
- Reflect on Your Entries: At the end of each day, take a few moments to reflect on your mood entries and daily activities. Notice any patterns or trends that emerge, such as certain activities or situations that consistently affect your mood.
- Discuss Your Findings: Bring your completed mood chart to your therapy session, and discuss your findings with your therapist. Together, you can explore the underlying causes of your moods, identify coping strategies, and develop a plan for managing difficult emotions.
Example Entries:
- Monday: Anxious (presentation at work), Neutral (evening walk)
- Tuesday: Happy (lunch with friends), Stressed (traffic jam)
- Wednesday: Can't sleep (worrying about upcoming deadline), Relieved (finished project)
- Thursday: Frustrated (miscommunication with partner), Content (time spent reading)
Conclusion:
By tracking your mood and daily activities, you gain valuable insights into your emotional patterns and triggers. This information can empower you to make positive changes in your life and better manage difficult emotions. Remember to be patient with yourself and celebrate your progress along the way. Your therapist is here to support you on your journey towards emotional well-being.
Emotional Regulation : Understanding the Two Steps
Emotional regulation is a vital skill for managing challenging feelings. It involves two key steps:
- Step One: Feeling and Releasing Emotions
- Step Two: Reflecting and Problem-Solving
This information sheet focuses on Step One, helping you sit with and process your emotions without judgment.
Step One: Feeling and Releasing Emotions
Before you can reflect on or solve problems, it’s essential to allow yourself to feel and release emotions in a healthy way. Suppressing emotions can lead to greater distress, while acknowledging and expressing them helps you move forward.
Why This Matters
- Feeling emotions fully allows them to pass rather than building up.
- Accepting emotions helps you understand yourself better.
- Releasing emotions clears the way for effective reflection and problem-solving.
What You Can Do
Here are some activities to help you sit with and release your emotions:
- Acknowledge Your Emotions
- Take a moment to name what you’re feeling: “I feel sad,” “I feel angry,” or “I feel overwhelmed.”
- Remind yourself that all emotions are valid, even the difficult ones.
- Practice Acceptance
- Resist the urge to label emotions as “good” or “bad.”
- Tell yourself: “It’s okay to feel this way. This feeling will pass.”
- Cry if You Need To
- Crying is a natural and healthy way to process sadness, frustration, or overwhelm.
- Allow yourself the space to cry if it feels right.
- Let Anger Out Constructively
- Engage in physical activity, like punching a pillow or going for a brisk walk.
- Write an “angry letter” that you don’t send, allowing yourself to express your feelings freely.
- Use Breathwork or Grounding Techniques
- Take deep breaths, focusing on the inhale and exhale to calm your nervous system.
- Ground yourself by noticing five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
- Create Space for Your Emotions
- Set aside quiet time to simply sit with your feelings.
- Avoid distractions and let yourself experience the full wave of emotion.
Step Two: Reflecting and Problem-Solving
Once you’ve processed your emotions, you’re in a better position to reflect on their causes and think about constructive ways to move forward. This step might include using tools like the emotional wheel, iceberg model, or journaling to explore deeper insights and solutions.
Key Takeaways
- Emotional regulation happens in two steps: feeling and releasing, then reflecting and problem-solving.
- You can’t solve a problem or reflect deeply until you’ve given yourself the space to process your emotions first.
- Allowing emotions to flow without judgment is an act of self-compassion and self-awareness.
Use this information sheet as a reminder that sitting with and releasing emotions is not just important—it’s the first essential step in emotional regulation.