Tag Archives: Understanding emotion
← Older posts Newer posts →Biological factors, physical well-being, and emotional vulnerability
One of the DBT skills for regulating emotions is to make yourself less prone to negative emotions by taking care of biological factors. This is because biological factors influence mood! How would your emotions change if you were doing everything … Continue reading
You don’t have to be an Olympic vaulter in order to handle elephantine sized emotions!
That’s right! I have been working very hard on my book The emotional extremist’s user’s guide to handling cartoon elephants: How to solve elephantine emotional problems without getting lost, stuck, run over, chased, flattened, squished, or abandoned by your true cartoons. … Continue reading
To say something or to say nothing: That is the question
Sometimes not speaking up leads to increased anxiety, agitation, helplessness, or feeling taken for granted. Sometimes it leads to feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. Sometimes the experience of being “upset” is an indication to pay attention, take notice, and to take … Continue reading
What does mindfulness have to do with validation?
Mindfulness involves an ability to “get in touch” and be aware of experiences that are both going on inside (ie, feelings) and the outside. In DBT, the ability to validate means not dismissing or attacking oneself. Self-validating is about paying … Continue reading
How to deal with angry people
If you are uncomfortable around angry people, don’t know what to do or say when other people express anger, are quick to avoid angry people, or become desperately eager to change the subject when the tone of the situation shifts … Continue reading
Who is in control? You or your cartoon elephants (emotions!)?
Emotions that control peoples’ lives prevent them from doing the things they love, working hard to achieve goals, tolerating pain in order to get somewhere in life, building mastery over situations that may feel threatening at first, and … Continue reading
The particular sadness of lemon cake by Aimee Bender
Recently I read this novel and started thinking about the ways in which sensitive people have access to sensory information that the rest of the world doesn’t have, doesn’t pay attention to, or isn’t bothered by. The particular sadness of … Continue reading
When you get stuck in the spin cycle with your cartoon elephants (emotions)!
Some people spend their whole lives stuck in the spin cycle with their cartoon elephants- going around and around and around and around and around. If this is you, it may feel as if getting out of the washing machine is simply … Continue reading
Mindfulness, DBT, extreme emotions, and doing what works:
One of the DBT mindfulness skills includes being effective: Doing what works. Learning how to sit for long periods of time and focus on one thing, such as your breath, can have quite an impact on quieting the mind. However, … Continue reading
Emotional sensitivity: Elephants without a skin
Some people are emotionally sensitive. They readily pick up on the emotions that others experience, have a high emotional “radar”, and they notice emotional “tones” or changes while interacting with others. Being alert to changes in emotional intensity may be … Continue reading