Five Ways To Regulate Emotions

After taking a hard exam, the anticipation of waiting for the grade is crazy. An article was published explaining how people manage stress while waiting for high-stakes results is a validation of sorts for those who embrace their anxiety (Hoffman). Through the study they found how a person handles the waiting period is crucial, and allowing yourself to worry is good for you. The regulation of emotions and controlling your negative emotions is very important. There are five steps to regulate your emotions. Step one is “What Not to Do.” In this step we are told to not go into thought suppression. This is when people attempt to not feel or respond to the emotion at all. Thought suppression could cause the rebound effect. The rebound effect is when a person is trying to suppress the negative thoughts and end up thinking about it more than before trying to suppress it. Step two is “Control the Location.” In this step, a person is told to avoid some situations, while putting yourself in others. Where you put yourself physically can …show more content…
Lastly, step five is “Distract Yourself.” In this step, a person is told by doing something other than the troubling activity or thinking about something other than the troubling thought is an especially good strategy for controlling emotion (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, & Halpern). In the study, researchers asked what the participates did to distract themselves, and keep their mind off waiting for the result of their bar exam. The results they received were, yoga, exercise, working, binge-watching television, talking with friends, not talking with friend, and drinking. But, other studies show that captivating activities, such as video games or household chores, are more successful distraction than passive ones, such as watching television