Stop Letting EMOTIONS Control You
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Dr. Sadat Warrior explores the nature of emotions as neurochemical responses in the brain and their progression from the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex, resulting in feelings and actions. He outlines four levels of emotional regulation, emphasizing the importance of awareness, acknowledgment, acceptance, and appropriate action. The video offers practical steps to help viewers gain control over their emotions, promoting emotional intelligence and self-regulation.
Takeaways
- π§ Emotions are neurochemical responses in the brain, originating from the limbic system, which is the most primitive part of the brain.
- π‘ Key neurochemicals involved in emotions include dopamine (happiness), serotonin (sadness), and adrenaline (excitement and fear).
- π There's a distinction between emotion and feeling; emotions are biological responses, while feelings are subjective and influenced by personal factors.
- π€ Emotional regulation involves a process where the prefrontal cortex becomes aware of emotions, leading to thoughts and actions.
- π« Level zero regulation is acting on emotions without any control, similar to how animals react.
- π‘ Level one regulation is when the prefrontal cortex is aware of the emotion but can be overwhelmed, leading to emotional actions.
- π Level two regulation is suppressing emotions to the point where they are not visibly apparent, even to oneself.
- π Level three regulation is the highest level, where the prefrontal cortex not only recognizes but also modulates emotions without acting on them.
- π The first step in emotional regulation is awareness, which can be improved through practices like journaling and self-reflection.
- π Deep breathing can help reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, aiding in the awareness and regulation of emotions.
- π€ Support systems and practices like gratitude journaling can assist in acknowledging and accepting emotions as part of the regulation process.
- πΆββοΈ Allowing time for emotions to translate into actions, such as taking a walk, can help in managing emotional responses effectively.
Q & A
What is the main topic of Dr. Sadat Warrior's video?
-The main topic of Dr. Sadat Warrior's video is emotional regulation, explaining what emotions are and how to manage them effectively.
According to the script, what are emotions from a biological perspective?
-Biologically, emotions are neurochemicals in the brain that fluctuate depending on life events, representing fundamental reactions in the brain at the lyic system level.
What are the three important neurochemicals associated with emotions mentioned in the video?
-The three important neurochemicals associated with emotions are dopamine, which leads to happiness; serotonin, which if it falls, leads to sadness; and adrenaline, which leads to excitement but also fear and panic.
How does the prefrontal cortex play a role in the emotional process?
-The prefrontal cortex becomes aware of emotions from the lyic system, leading to feelings. It is the most evolved part of the brain and is responsible for regulating emotions, thoughts, and actions.
What is the difference between an emotion and a feeling as explained in the video?
-An emotion is a neurochemical reaction in the lyic system, while a feeling is the subjective experience of that emotion once the prefrontal cortex becomes aware of it, influenced by personal identity, memories, and the situation.
What are the four levels of emotional regulation described by Dr. Sadat Warrior?
-The four levels of emotional regulation are: Level one - no regulation (acting on pure emotion), Level two - some regulation (awareness but overwhelmed by strong emotions), Level three - good amount of regulation (able to suppress emotions), and Level four - highest level of control (able to modulate emotions without acting on them).
Why is awareness the first step in emotional regulation according to the video?
-Awareness is the first step in emotional regulation because you cannot control what you cannot see or recognize. It involves becoming aware of the emotions one is experiencing and is a key step in managing them.
What is the role of deep breathing in emotional regulation as discussed in the video?
-Deep breathing helps reduce sympathetic activity in the lyic system and switches towards parasympathetic activity, making it easier to become aware of emotions and thus facilitating the process of emotional regulation.
How can acknowledging and accepting emotions assist in emotional regulation?
-Acknowledging and accepting emotions helps in emotional regulation by allowing individuals to understand and accept the presence of emotions without guilt or suppression, which is crucial for managing them effectively.
What is the recommended action step to attach the right action to an emotion as per the video?
-The recommended action step to attach the right action to an emotion is to go for a walk, which allows the body the freedom to move and process the emotion without committing to a specific course of action immediately.
How does Dr. Sadat Warrior suggest improving emotional regulation skills?
-Dr. Sadat Warrior suggests improving emotional regulation skills through practice, awareness, acknowledgement, acceptance, and finding a support system or practices like journaling and gratitude exercises.
Outlines
π§ Understanding Emotions and Their Regulation
Dr. Sadat Warrior introduces the topic of emotions, emphasizing the difficulty in controlling them and the feeling of helplessness they can induce. He explains that emotions are neurochemical responses in the brain to life events, originating from the limbic system. The video aims to educate viewers on what emotions are and how to regulate them. Dr. Warrior outlines the neurochemicals involved in emotions, such as dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline, and distinguishes between emotions and feelings. He describes the process of how emotions lead to feelings, thoughts, and actions, and introduces the concept of emotional regulation with four levels, from zero regulation, where actions are driven by pure emotion, to level four, where individuals have complete control over their emotional responses.
π± Steps to Emotional Regulation
The second paragraph delves into the steps to build emotional regulation. Dr. Warrior emphasizes the importance of awareness as the first step, suggesting that recognizing and acknowledging one's emotions is crucial. He recommends journaling as a tool to enhance self-awareness. The second step involves acknowledging the presence of an emotion without judgment. Acceptance of the emotion and its impact on the individual is the third step, where a support system or practices like gratitude journaling can be beneficial. The final step is about action, allowing the emotion to guide a thought and an action without being overwhelming. Dr. Warrior suggests taking a walk to process emotions before committing to a course of action, highlighting that emotional regulation improves with practice.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Emotions
π‘Lyic System
π‘Neurochemicals
π‘Prefrontal Cortex
π‘Feelings
π‘Thoughts
π‘Actions
π‘Emotional Regulation
π‘Awareness
π‘Acknowledgement
π‘Acceptance
Highlights
Emotions are neurochemicals in the brain that fluctuate based on life events.
The limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain, is responsible for emotions.
Dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline are key neurochemicals linked to happiness, sadness, and fear respectively.
Oxytocin, testosterone, and estrogen are among other chemicals that contribute to emotions.
The prefrontal cortex becomes aware of emotions, leading to feelings, which are subjective.
Feelings are influenced by personal identity, memories, and the current situation.
Emotions lead to thoughts, which in turn lead to actions, forming a complete emotional response cycle.
Level one of emotional regulation is acting on emotions without any control, similar to animal behavior.
Level two involves some regulation where the prefrontal cortex can modulate emotions but may still be overwhelmed.
Level three regulation allows the prefrontal cortex to suppress emotions, making them invisible to others.
The highest level of emotional regulation is when the prefrontal cortex can modulate emotions without being controlled by them.
Building emotional regulation starts with awareness of one's emotions.
Deep breathing can help reduce sympathetic activity and increase awareness.
Acknowledgement of emotions is essential and involves accepting their presence without guilt.
Acceptance of emotions involves understanding their impact and associated memories.
Action in emotional regulation means allowing emotions to guide thoughts and actions appropriately.
Emotional regulation improves with practice and can be aided by activities like journaling and walking.
Transcripts
you know people say don't be so
emotional but at the same time they also
feel that controlling emotion is hard
people lose themselves when they get
emotional they feel helpless it's like
when you're emotional you can't control
your own body why is this such a problem
and how can we fix it that's what we
going to talk about in today's video hi
everyone I'm Dr Sadat Warrior and in
today's video I'm going to tell you what
emotions are and how can you regulate
them if you haven't subscribe to the
channel yet do so it means a lot to me
and you get to see more such videos on
your timeline what are emotions it's
something that we've all experienced
we've all felt happy sad angry jealous
but biologically speaking emotions are
neurochemicals in the brain that go up
and down depending on what is happening
in life our brain is constantly reacting
to what is going on and emotions are the
fundamental reactions in the brain at
the lyic system level now if you've been
a subscriber of the channel you already
know that the lyic system is the most
primitive part of the brain in other
words emotions are inevitable if you're
alive and your experiencing things you
will have emotions what are the
neurochemicals that lead to emotion
there are many of them but I'll tell you
the three important ones there is
dopamine which leads to happiness there
is serotonin which if it falls it leads
to sadness and there is adrenaline which
leads to excitement but also fear and
panic now there are other chemicals as
well like oxytocin that leads to bonding
and testosterone and estrogen and
progesterone all of these chemicals come
together to give you emotions now that
you know that emotions are inevitable
what happens after that if you picture
the brain imagine emotions coming from
the lyic system gradually your
prefrontal cortex which is the most
evolved part of the brain has to become
aware of these emotions and that is what
we call feel feeling there is a
difference between emotion and feeling
as your prefrontal cortex becomes aware
of the emotion that is when the feelings
come in feelings are subjective it
depends on you who you are what your
memories are what is your identity what
is your belief system what is the
situation that you are in all these
things will affect how you feel about an
emotion so something can happen that can
make you have anger as an emotion but
will you feel angry depends on the
situation or depends on you if you're
not the type of person to get angry you
might not feel it but that doesn't mean
that the emotion of anger is not there I
hope that difference is clear to you but
what happens after you get a feeling
then you get a thought a thought is the
first clear sentence that pops into your
head about an emotion for example I hate
this place or I love this person all of
these sentences are thoughts that come
from an emotion and finally after a
thought comes an action which is oh let
me get out of here or let me go and talk
to her so now let's understand the
entire flow there is emotion in the lyic
system the prefrontal cortex eventually
gets the feeling it then leads to a
thought which then leads to an action
from the motor cortex this is how we go
through life now that you've understood
what emotions are let's talk about
emotional regulation and I want to tell
you about four levels of emotional
regulation level one zero regulation you
get an emotion and you act there is no
difference between emotion feeling and
thought and this is how animals operate
when something happens to them their
lyic system reacts in an emotional way
and that emotion gets played out as an
action a good human example is road rage
and we've all seen these people getting
out of the car thrashing somebody
without thinking this is when a human
being loses complete control over their
actions and they're acting out of pure P
emotion whether that's fear anger love
or jealousy there is no prefrontal
cortex only limic level two is when
there is some regulation the prefrontal
cortex is aware of the emotion it can
even modulate the emotion but when the
emotion becomes too strong then the
prefrontal cortex is overwhelmed and
this is when you can see that somebody
is trying to control themselves but
their action still tells you that they
are feeling emotional level three is a
good amount of Regulation where the
prefrontal Al cortex has control so much
so that they are able to suppress the
emotion so somebody from the outside
can't even tell if this person is
emotional or not but inside they are
feeling all of that emotion so much so
that they may even be suppressing it and
they themselves cannot deal with it in
other words the prefrontal cortex cannot
fully feel the emotion because it has
suppressed it and level four is
according to me the highest level of
control which is the prefrontal cortex
can not only feel the emotion but it can
also modulate it which means it can
decide how much to feel is this the
right time to feel it if so can I feel
all of it and can I still not act on it
just have that feeling in place without
letting the emotion control your actions
according to me this is the highest
level of emotional regulation that only
a few people are able to achieve so how
do you build emotional regulation there
are four steps number one is awareness
you cannot control what you cannot even
see so first step is to Simply become
aware of your emotion ask yourself what
emotion are you going through are you
happy are you sad are you angry are you
jealous are you upset the more you ask
yourself this question and the more you
talk or even better the more you write
the more aware you become of your
emotion learning to recognize emotion is
a key step in regulation and this is
where therapy helps a lot of people need
help even Crossing this first level and
that's why I always recommend journaling
to everyone if for nothing else just to
become aware of your emotions initially
if you're caught in a very strong
emotion you will not be able to think
logically in other words your prefrontal
cortex is not working well so before
anything else your first priority is to
reduce the sympathetic activity in your
limic system and switch towards
parasympathetic we've already spoken
about the sympathetic parasympathetic
relationship and you know that one of
the best ways to do this is by deep
breathing if you want to learn more
about how you can use breath work to
control your sympathetic system you can
watch this video right here start by
doing this and it helps to make your
step one which is awareness easier step
number two is acknowledgement which is
after you are aware that this is my
emotion simply acknowledge that yes this
is what is happening with me
understanding that emotions are
inevitable and that you are not meant to
fight it or suppress it you don't have
to feel guilty for having an emotion but
simply to acknowledge that this has
happened to me and this is something
that I'm going through step number three
is acceptance this is where your
prefrontal cortex decides how do you
feel about that emotion how does this
emotion affect you what does this make
you want to say what does this make you
want to do what Memories does it trigger
inside you accepting all of this is a
part of emotional regulation for both
acknowledgement and and acceptance it
helps to have some sort of support
system that is people that you can speak
to or practices like gratitude
journaling just remembering what you are
grateful for and putting this emotion in
the context of life helps you go through
these steps better and finally when it
comes to step number four which is
action this is where you allow the
emotion to become a feeling which
becomes a thought which eventually leads
to you doing something many people
struggle with attaching the right action
to an emotion and for that I personally
recommend going for a walk this is when
you allow your body the freedom to move
but at the same time you are not
committing to a very specific course of
action before you engage in any action
which is more forceful give that emotion
action Loop sometime emotional
regulation is an exercise that gets
better and better with practice I hope
that this video helps you if you have
any questions about it let me know and
if there are things that you have tried
to control your emotions I would love to
hear about about that as well I hope
this video has been helpful for you I
will see you guys in the next one bye
everyone take care
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