Managing Strong, Distressing Emotions

At times, we will all experience strong, negative emotions, such as fear, anger, sadness, guilt, and grief. When extreme, such emotions can degrade health, performance, and relationships—while causing or maintaining dysregulated arousal. This part of resilience training teaches practical skills to manage these kinds of emotions.

• Rapid relief strategies for distress (adaptations of trauma strategies for everyday use)
• Defusing painful memories (from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
• Confiding trauma and worries (how a few minutes of daily expressive writing can be so powerful)
• Managing the common thought traps linked to emotional disturbance, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and everyday distress.
• Managing distressing dreams, which for decades can afflict even those without stress-related mental disorders
• Mindfulness meditation (used for centuries, this approach is now taught in Western clinics, schools, and workplaces)
• Self-compassion (adding powerful steps to mindfulness practice has been found to be even more effective)