What is being dysregulated, and how can we better process our emotions?

Therapist Emma McAdam: "If emotions are getting in the way of you living your life, you can learn how to slow down, think clearly..."

Psychologist Melanie Joy notes "this is an incredibly dysregulating time for everyone, especially those of us who are highly sensitive."

Dr Cathleen King: “That is another form of nervous system dysregulation when you can't shut off your idea switch and just be in the present moment."

Therapist Julie Bjelland: "The brain has a negativity bias..."

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"When you don't know how to process emotions, you might blow up, shut down, or avoid your emotions through things like food, alcohol, TV, or gaming."

Therapist Emma McAdam, LMFT continues about emotional dysregulation:

"If emotions are getting in the way of you living your life, you can learn how to slow down, think clearly, and make choices that make your life better.

"Instead of getting overwhelmed, blowing up, or trying to control or merely cope with your emotions, learn to actually resolve them."

Her comments are from a description for her course How to Process Your Emotions.

(The image above of two hikers is from a video for the course, and indicates how our relationships, and access to joy and pleasure in life, can be improved by using tools to regulate our nervous system.)

» See her course How to Process Your Emotions, plus other courses, articles, videos and membership, at her Therapy in a Nutshell site.

Emma McAdam notes she loves helping people change, and provides many programs to support emotional and mental health. Follow link above to her site.

This Creative Mind Audio includes clips from two of her videos about nervous system regulation.

Here are related videos:

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McAdams comments: "There are at least three reasons why you’re having a hard time regulating your nervous system, despite your best efforts. So let’s explore them and their antidotes.”

"Number Two: You’re not safe. And what I mean by that is that some action needs to be taken.

"Our nervous system is super smart and super good at bypassing the logical part of our brain to alert us to dangers.

“Sometimes anxiety isn’t a disorder; it’s just a message that something needs to change."

She explains, "Emotions aren’t just bad things that happen to us; they’re meant to motivate us to take action. Sometimes they lie and we need to calm ourselves down, just regulate our bodies, but sometimes they’re truthful and we need to take action."

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“That is another form of nervous system dysregulation when you can't shut off your idea switch and just be in the present moment." Cathleen King, DPT

See more in post:

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This topic of dysregulation has many aspects; here are some additional posts and podcasts with therapists:

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Psychologist Melanie Joy notes "this is an incredibly dysregulating time for everyone, especially those of us who are highly sensitive. We're especially affected by violence, chaos, and unpredictability."

Dysregulation and How to Improve Emotional Resilience with Psychologist Melanie Joy

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How to navigate sensory overload and trauma as a highly sensitive person

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Dr Cathleen King, DPT: "A dysregulated nervous system can turn routine experiences into sources of stress. If you’re feeling persistently anxious, stressed, or physically unwell, it might be more than just a temporary response to life’s challenges—it could be a sign of a dysregulated nervous system."

{See more in the post below, including link to her article "Understanding A Dysregulated Nervous System: The Symptoms and Signs."]

Therapist and author Julie Bjelland, LMFT: "The brain has a negativity bias...stress, nervousness, fear...can actually trigger a response in the brain that alerts your system to think that it needs to set off these alarm bells." And, she notes, "that happens even more so in highly sensitive people."

Perspectives on depression, distress, dysregulation, and how to gain more emotional health

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» See more videos in playlist: Nervous System Regulation

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