Managing Emotions

Are you struggling to manage your emotions?

People who struggle to manage their emotions have feelings that are so extreme or intense that they get in the way of their every-day life. Here are some of the more common experiences:

How your body might feel:

• You might experience an adrenaline rush (fired up, tense, energised, shaking, sweating, breathing, fast heart rate, difficulty concentrating).
• You might feel slowed down (tired, lethargic, loss of interest and appetite, restlessness, feeling physically ‘numb’ or ‘not with it’).

Thoughts you might have:

• You might overestimate the possibility of danger, whilst underestimating your ability to cope
• You might assume the worst or that the problem is enormous
• You might assume that other people are unfair or intentionally trying to hurt you
• You might view things in ‘all-or-nothing’ terms or think that everything is hopeless

Feelings you might have:

• Extreme panic or fear
• Extreme anger, rage or fury
• Extreme hopelessness, despair or dismay

Things you might do:

• Run away, escape or avoid what’s happening
• Fight, shout, argue, smash things
• Withdraw, isolate yourself or ‘numb out’ to what’s happening
• Use drugs, alcohol or other substances to control how you feel

If any of these sound familiar,  you can find out more about emotional difficulties in the ‘Learn’ section above. You’ll also find some helpful tips and advice on managing your emotions in the ‘Manage’ section below.