Emotional Regulation 2

Cards · 52

Cognitive Reappraisal

An antecedent-focused strategy where one changes how they interpret an event to alter its emotional impact and decrease distress.

Box Breathing

A four-part breathing technique (inhale, hold, exhale, hold for equal counts) that down-regulates the sympathetic nervous system.

Affect Labeling

Putting emotional experiences into words, which reduces amygdala activation and enhances prefrontal cortex regulation.

Opposite Action

A DBT skill where one deliberately engages in behavior contrary to an unjustified emotional urge to shift their affective state.

Window of Tolerance

The optimal arousal zone where an individual can effectively manage stress and process emotions without hyper- or hypo-arousal.

Physiological Sigh

Two quick inhales through the nose followed by a long exhale through the mouth to rapidly lower autonomic arousal and heart rate.

Radical Acceptance

Completely accepting reality as it is without judgment or resistance, preventing pain from turning into prolonged suffering.

TIPP Skills

A DBT crisis survival acronym (Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation) that quickly resets the nervous system.

Grounding Technique: 5-4-3-2-1

A sensory exercise identifying 5 sights, 4 touches, 3 sounds, 2 smells, and 1 taste to pull attention away from internal panic.

Attentional Deployment

Directing one's focus toward or away from specific aspects of an emotional situation to alter affective reactions.

Distraction

Temporarily redirecting attention away from an emotional trigger toward neutral or positive stimuli to prevent emotional overload.

Rumination

Repetitively and passively focusing on the causes and consequences of distress, which exacerbates and prolongs negative affect.

Expressive Suppression

A response-focused strategy of actively masking outward signs of emotion, which often increases internal physiological arousal.

Interoception

The perception of internal bodily sensations like heart rate and gut motility, crucial for recognizing emotional shifts early.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Systematically tensing and relaxing muscle groups to reduce somatic tension and trigger the parasympathetic rest response.

Urge Surfing

A mindfulness technique of observing emotional impulses like ocean waves without acting, allowing them to peak and naturally subside.

Cognitive Defusion

An ACT practice of viewing thoughts as mere mental events rather than objective truths, weakening their emotional grip.

Situation Selection

Proactively choosing to enter or avoid specific environments or interpersonal contexts to regulate emotional exposure.

Situation Modification

Altering an external environment or circumstance directly to reduce potential stressors or emotional demands.

Self-Compassion Pause

Acknowledging personal suffering with warmth and shared humanity rather than self-criticism, buffering against stress.

Emotional Granularity

The ability to distinguish nuanced emotional states (e.g., irritation vs. envy), which facilitates more precise coping strategies.

STOP Skill

A DBT tool (Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed mindfully) used to break impulsive reactivity during emotional crises.

Emotional Contagion

The spontaneous mimicry of others' emotional expressions, which can destabilize mood if unmonitored in stressful social spaces.

Vagal Tone

The activity of the vagus nerve in regulating heart rate, where higher tone indicates greater emotional and autonomic flexibility.

Mindful Breathing

Anchoring awareness to the physical sensations of breathing to decrease cognitive elaboration and stabilize emotional arousal.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Deep belly breathing that expands the diaphragm, stimulating the vagus nerve and down-regulating acute fight-or-flight states.

Biofeedback

Using real-time physiological data (e.g., HRV) to train voluntary self-regulation of stress and autonomic arousal.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

The variation in time intervals between heartbeats; higher HRV correlates with superior prefrontal emotional control.

Decentering

Adopting an objective, observer perspective on one's internal experiences, reducing perceived threat and reactivity.

Emotion Efficacy

An individual's belief in their ability to tolerate and navigate difficult emotional states without destructive behaviors.

Amygdala Hijack

An overwhelming immediate emotional response where the amygdala bypasses rational prefrontal cortex processing.

Co-Regulation

The reciprocal stabilization of emotional and autonomic states through supportive interpersonal interaction.

Allostatic Load

The cumulative wear and tear on the body from chronic stress, which impairs long-term emotional regulation capacity.

Sensory Modulation

Using purposeful sensory inputs (e.g., weighted blankets, cold water) to calibrate nervous system arousal levels.

Reframing

A cognitive tool identifying alternative, balanced interpretations of a situation to reduce excessive negative emotional valence.

Behavioral Activation

Scheduling value-driven, rewarding activities to counter depressive inertia and naturally elevate positive affect.

Cold Water Immersion (Mammalian Dive Reflex)

Applying cold water or ice to the face to rapidly trigger bradycardia and parasympathetic nervous activation.

Expressive Writing

Writing continuously about deep emotional upheavals to organize traumatic memories and lower cognitive intrusion.

Somatic Tracking

Observing bodily sensations with an attitude of neutral curiosity to extinguish learned fear responses linked to sensations.

Non-Judgmental Stance

Describing facts without attaching moral evaluations (good/bad), preventing secondary emotional reactions like guilt or anger.

Distress Tolerance

The capacity to withstand adverse emotional or physical states without turning to maladaptive avoidance or impulsive actions.

Broaden-and-Build Theory

The framework positing that positive emotions expand thought-action repertoires and build lasting psychological resilience.

Hyperarousal

An excessive state of autonomic nervous arousal characterized by anxiety, irritability, and hypervigilance.

Hypoarousal

A state of insufficient autonomic activation characterized by emotional numbness, dissociation, and lethargy.

PLEASE Skills

A DBT protocol targeting physical vulnerability (sleep, nutrition, illness) to maintain neurochemical and emotional baseline stability.

Neuroception

The autonomic nervous system's subconscious detection of safety and threat cues in the environment.

Emotional Agility

The ability to navigate one's thoughts and feelings with flexibility, holding them lightly while acting on core values.

Self-Soothing with Senses

Engaging pleasant sensory experiences (gentle music, soft textures) to soften acute distress and encourage feelings of safety.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

A structured secular training program using meditation and yoga to reduce stress reactivity and build emotional awareness.

Externalizing the Emotion

Conceiving an emotion as a distinct entity outside oneself, creating psychological space to choose an intentional response.

Body Scan Meditation

Systematically moving mental attention through body parts to cultivate interoceptive awareness and release localized stress.

Checking the Facts

A DBT strategy examining whether an emotional response and its intensity genuinely fit the objective realities of an event.