Emotional Regulation

Evidence-based emotional regulation practices.

33 concepts in this area — each broken into concrete practices with the real mechanism, an honest read on the evidence, and how to practice it with IX Coach.

• Affect Labeling: Name It to Tame It — Why does putting feelings into words make you feel calmer?
• Attentional Deployment, Made Practical — What is attentional deployment in emotion regulation and how do you use it?
• Broaden-and-Build, Made Practical — What is Barbara Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory and how do you use it?
• Building Positive Emotions, Made Practical — How do you deliberately build more positive emotions in your daily life?
• Check the Facts, Made Practical — What is the "check the facts" skill from DBT and how do you use it?
• Co-Regulation: Borrowing Calm From Another Nervous System — How do other people help calm us down, and how can you use that on purpose?
• Cognitive Defusion (ACT), Made Practical — What is cognitive defusion and how do you practice it?
• Cognitive Reappraisal vs. Suppression, Made Practical — What is the difference between cognitive reappraisal and suppression, and which one works?
• DBT Emotion Regulation Skills, Made Practical — What are the DBT emotion regulation skills and how do you use them?
• Detached Mindfulness, Made Practical — What is detached mindfulness and how does it stop overthinking?
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills, Made Practical — What is dialectical behavior therapy and what skills does it teach?
• Distress Tolerance Skills, Made Practical — What are distress tolerance skills and when do you use them?
• Emotional Agility, Made Practical — What is emotional agility and how does it differ from positive thinking?
• Emotional Granularity: Precision as a Regulation Skill — Does having more precise words for emotions actually help you manage them?
• Lazarus Appraisal Theory, Made Practical — How does Lazarus appraisal theory explain stress and emotion, and how do you use it?
• Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation — What is loving-kindness meditation, and does it actually change how you feel toward yourself and others?
• Name It to Tame It: Affect Labeling in Practice — What is "name it to tame it" and how does it help regulate emotions?
• Novaco Anger Management, Made Practical — How does Novaco anger management work and what are its core practices?
• Opposite Action: Acting Against the Emotion’s Urge — How do you change an emotion that does not fit the situation?
• Psychological Flexibility, Made Practical — What is psychological flexibility and how do you build it?
• Radical Honesty About Emotions, Made Practical — Why is being honest about your emotions important, and how do you actually do it?
• Ride the Wave (Urge Management), Made Practical — What is "riding the wave" and how does it help manage urges and impulses?
• Self-Soothing, Made Practical — What is self-soothing and how do you do it effectively?
• Shame Resilience, Made Practical — What is Brené Brown’s shame resilience and how do you build it?
• Shame vs. Guilt: Why the Distinction Changes Everything — What is the difference between shame and guilt, and why does it matter for behavior change?
• Situation Selection, Made Practical — What is situation selection in emotion regulation and how do you practice it?
• The 90-Second Rule, Made Practical — Is it true emotions only last 90 seconds, and what does that mean for regulation?
• The Costs of Expressive Suppression, Made Practical — What are the costs of suppressing emotions and what should you do instead?
• The Feeling Wheel: Building Emotional Vocabulary — What is the Feeling Wheel and how do you use it to improve emotional intelligence?
• The Window of Tolerance: Your Optimal Arousal Zone — What is the window of tolerance, and how do you stay inside it?
• TIPP: DBT’s Crisis Skill for Rapidly Lowering Emotional Intensity — How does the DBT TIPP skill reduce intense emotions quickly?
• Urge Surfing: Riding the Wave of a Craving — How do you handle a craving or urge without giving in to it?
• Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical — How do you use values to guide action in ACT?