Regulate Your Emotions with Mindfulness
Life has been beyond challenging for most of us the last few years as we’ve dealt with a global pandemic, subsequent lockdowns, a recession, and other stressors. Needless to say, these events can trigger some pretty strong emotions in us.
We never want to deny or repress our emotions. Emotion-Focused Therapy is a mindful approach that is about identifying, understanding, and transforming our emotional experience. Feeling emotions is how we process the events of our lives. One of the most effective ways to both be present with and shift our emotions is through mindfulness.
What is Mindfulness & How Can It Help?
Mindfulness is a simple, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It is a powerful way to connect with our bodies and emotions, but in a higher state of awareness.
Mindfulness helps us regulate our emotions by putting us in a calm and relaxed state of presence. From here we can have a more mature and sensible point of view of the events in our lives.
Second, when practiced regularly, mindfulness can help us develop skills that promote emotional clarity and self-regulation. These skills include self-awareness and attentional control.
And finally, mindfulness can increase the time between trigger and response. In this way, mindfulness acts a bit like an advanced warning system, alerting us to a potentially upsetting scene, giving us time to engage in emotional self-monitoring. This gives us the opportunity to choose our emotional response very carefully.
Getting Started with Mindfulness
There are many online resources for getting started with a mindfulness meditation practice. A free app I like to recommend is called Insight Timer. Spend some time searching Google and exploring Youtube for some helpful sites and videos.
If you are interested in working privately with someone on regulating your emotions, please feel free to book a session here. I use mindfulness in my practice with clients and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Sources:
https://mentalhealthmatch.com/articles/skills/what-is-mindfulness-and-how-to-use-it-to-regulate-emotions
Rebecca Steele
Rebecca Steele, MA, MSW, RP, RSW is an individual therapist in downtown Kitchener. She specializes in offering insight-driven depth therapy
and supports individuals who may be experiencing symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and trauma. Click here to learn more about her online Kitchener counselling practice!