Written by: Kacie Shelton
Editor’s note: The following article is written in partnership with Counseling Services and the Southern Accent.
Emotional regulation, which is one’s ability to modulate an emotion or set of emotions, is something most of us have heard of but not necessarily mastered, according to the American Psychological Association. As we age and mature, emotional regulation may become easier. We are able to use coping skills and identify emotional regulation strategies more easily as we gain life experience.
Our brains are designed so that when something traumatic or scary happens to us, chemicals are released to trigger responses. These responses are hardwired for survival and protection, and it’s important to understand how our bodies generate them.
When a traumatic event occurs, the sympathetic nervous system is triggered, releasing epinephrine and norepinephrine, which are responsible for increased heart rate and other responses to stress and fear. About 10 seconds after this initial response, the Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) begins to function. The HPA axis is described as the interaction between the hypothalamus (located above the brainstem), pituitary gland (located above the brainstem) and adrenal glands (located on top of the kidneys).
The increased level of norepinephrine causes the hypothalamus to activate corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in the bloodstream, which then activates the sympathetic nervous system. CHI also begins the release of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) into the bloodstream, which goes to the adrenal cortex (outer layer of the adrenal glands). ACTH blocks receptors on the top of the adrenal cortices, which triggers the release of cortisol.
Cortisol is what helps us handle stressful events that last more than a few minutes by elevating blood pressure, increasing cardiac output and giving more blood to the skeletal muscles. Physical and psychiatric complications can occur when there is too much HPA axis stimulation. Some physical complications include infection, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Psychiatric complications include depression, other mood disorders and memory issues.
On top of knowing how reactions in your body work, it’s important to understand how to regulate them. You can start by identifying what emotions you are feeling. If you are having a hard time identifying the emotion, the six basic emotions are a good place to start. They include happy, sad, fear, anger, disgust and surprise. For example, you may be sad you got a grade lower than expected on a test because you felt you studied but still didn’t get the answers correct. Looking at a feelings wheel can help, as there are many words to describe some of the underlying emotions. Try to examine the deeper implications of a feeling and why the event or situation led to those feelings.
Another way to regulate your emotions is learning to respond proactively (ex.: have a conversation) rather than reactively (ex.: yelling). Responding proactively means you have put thought into what you will do and have done your best to prepare for responses to specific events or thoughts. Thinking through your options is a great way to regulate your emotions. Once you regulate your body’s response to the stress, you can then move on to problem-solving.
Think through possible responses and which one will get you closer to where you want to be, considering the consequences or rewards of each option. Last, push pause when you need to. Sometimes we all need a minute to take a step back from the situation and gather our thoughts or cool down.
Next time your body starts responding to a stressful event, you will know what is happening to your body and can use the tips listed above to regulate your emotions and respond in an effective, appropriate way.