Your life is filled with complex and ambiguous problems that can quickly change with your current circumstances. Emotions play a big role in how successfully you navigate these unique situations.
Emotions help you make decisions, prepare for quick actions, and promote learning but they are by no means always helpful.
They hurt when they are the wrong type, happen at the wrong time, and/or are shown with the wrong intensity.
Your emotions can lead you to do things that cause suffering to yourself and those around you. When emotions happen at moments of opportunity, the importance of proper regulation is unmistakable.
Emotion Regulation is how you reduce or enhance which emotional experiences you have, when you have them, and how you experience and express these emotions.
Emotion regulation (I call it composure) is important because it can help you benefit from what is useful about your emotions, but avoid what is harmful.
We have all come face to face with situations in our lives where emotion regulation was crucial. We know all too well that emotions matter.
When they go wrong, we want to do something about it. That is where emotional regulation comes in.
With proper emotion regulation you can reduce or enhance your emotional experiences through various behavioral or mental control strategies.
Follow me on Twitter @YanceySanderson
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