Overwhelming Emotions
Overwhelming Emotions
At some point in our lives, we all have to deal with distress and pain. It can be physical like a bee sting or a broken arm, or it can be emotions, like sadness or anger. Pain is usually unavoidable and unpredictable. You cannot anticipate when they will happen, but you can try and use the coping skills that you have to manage them.
For some people emotional and physical pain feels more intense and occurs more frequently that it does for other people. Their distress come more quickly and is overwhelming. They cannot see the end of the pain and don’t know how to cope with the severity of their pain. The same factors may elicit overwhelming emotions in one person and not another. People with overwhelming emotions might not deal with their feeling in a healthy way, which makes sense: one is not necessarily able to think rationally or find a good solution when you feel overwhelmed.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) has proven effective for dealing with a range of mental health problems, especially those that involve overwhelming emotions.
Research has shown that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively.
We build skills in four key areas:
- Distress tolerance: will help you cope better with painful events by building up your Resilience and giving you new and practical ways to soften the effects of upsetting emotions
- Mindfulness: will help you experience the present moment more fully while focussing less on painful experiences from the past or frightening possibilities in the future. Mindfulness will also give you tools to overcome habitual negative judgements about yourself and others
- Emotional Regulation skills: help you to recognise more clearly what you feel and then to observe each emotion without getting overwhelmed by it. The goal is to moderate your feelings without behaving in reactive, destructive ways
- Interpersonal Effectiveness gives you new tools to express your beliefs and needs, set limit and negotiate solutions to problems, while protecting yourself and your relationships (and treating people with respect) at the same time.
The Causes of Overwhelming Emotions
- Hard wired
- Trauma or neglect during childhood
This doesn't mean there is not hope...
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the buzzword of the moment. But what is it all about exactly?
Mindfulness – also known as meditation – is a valuable skill that has been taught for thousands of years in many of the world’s wisdom traditions including Chritianity, Buddhism and Islam.
Mindfulness is a way of living in the present so that you don’t worry about past mistakes and painful experiences or live in the future worrying about possible mistakes and painful experiences.
Stop for a second. Where are you at this very moment? Are you right here, right now, fully focused as you hear these words, or has your mind taken flight and gone AWOL – as usual? It is normal for the mind to wander – that is what it is designed to do, but to allow yourself to focus on the present moment can be very helpful.
CyberShrink offers mindfulness-based techniques and interventions as well as mindfulness meditation in Cape Town.
In the context of dealing with overwhelming emotions:
Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations and actions – in the present moment – without judging or criticising yourself or your experience.
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'm very glad I met you! Life is full of challenges but I feel better equipped to deal with them."