An Easy Formula for Emotional Regulation

Have you ever been told that you should "feel your feelings"? It's good advice, but incredibly vague. For those of us who may not be familiar with how to do that (or even where to start), I've broken it down into 3 simple steps. We begin by identifying our feelings, and then acknowledge that while feelings are subjective they still shape our emotional reality. Finally, we work on finding a way forwards that supports our emotional experience and offers practical care.

When it comes to step 3, I often joke with clients that "toddler rules" apply. What I mean by this is that if a toddler were crying, we wouldn't tell them to stop crying; we might offer them comfort, co-regulation, engage them in a soothing activity, or offer them a snack. Similarly, when we're upset, we deserve compassionate care to help us through.

I hope you find this framework helpful, your feelings matter and deserve care.

Be kind to yourself,

Katelyn

Want a copy for yourself? Download my free emotional regulation framework:

Emotional regulation.pdf

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Interested in going deeper? Questions? Learn more about my psychotherapeutic practice in Guelph, ON.

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