Feeling Really Overwhelmed? Discover the Science of Emotion Regulation

Summary

In this video, Dr. Tracey Marks, a psychiatrist, discusses emotional overwhelm and the science of emotion regulation. She explains how the amygdala and prefrontal cortex interact during stress and provides two practical strategies to manage overwhelming emotions: savoring the senses and labeling emotions. These techniques help calm the brain’s emotional responses and build resilience over time. Dr. Marks emphasizes that emotional regulation is a trainable skill and encourages viewers to practice these tools to improve mental strength and resilience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Emotional overwhelm is a signal, not a sentence. It indicates your brain needs better tools to cope.
• 😀 Overwhelm occurs when stress or emotional burden exceeds your ability to manage it, leaving you feeling paralyzed or distressed.
• 😀 The amygdala triggers the fight-or-flight response, making it difficult for the prefrontal cortex to maintain control during overwhelming emotions.
• 😀 Emotion regulation is a skill that can be trained, helping you manage your emotions more effectively over time.
• 😀 The prefrontal cortex helps with rational thinking and decision-making, while the amygdala controls emotional reactions to stress.
• 😀 Neuroplasticity allows the brain to adapt and strengthen pathways, enabling you to enhance emotional regulation with practice.
• 😀 'Savoring the senses' is a grounding technique that anchors you in the present moment by focusing deeply on one of your senses.
• 😀 Labeling your emotions involves consciously identifying and naming the emotions you're feeling, helping activate the prefrontal cortex.
• 😀 By labeling emotions, you separate yourself from the feeling, creating mental space for better management and reducing overwhelm.
• 😀 A card deck with emotion labels can help in real-time situations by identifying and naming emotions when they first arise.
• 😀 The Journey to Resilience involves practicing tools like savoring the senses and emotion labeling to strengthen emotional regulation and resilience.

Q & A

What is emotional overwhelm and why does it happen?

Emotional overwhelm occurs when our emotional or stress burden exceeds our ability to cope. It often feels like our thoughts and emotions are spiraling out of control, leading to feelings of paralysis or heightened distress. This happens when the emotional centers of the brain, like the amygdala, take over, pushing the rational part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, to the side.

What role does the amygdala play in emotional overwhelm?

The amygdala is responsible for scanning for threats and triggering the fight-or-flight response. When you're overwhelmed, it can dominate your brain’s processes, making it difficult for your prefrontal cortex, which controls rational thinking, to function properly.

How does the prefrontal cortex help in managing emotions?

The prefrontal cortex is the brain's rational thinker, helping you make decisions, control impulses, and plan for the future. During moments of emotional overwhelm, it can help manage and regulate emotions, though it can be overwhelmed itself if the amygdala is too dominant.

What is neuroplasticity and how is it related to emotional regulation?

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to adapt and rewire itself based on experiences and practices. By consistently practicing emotion regulation techniques, you can strengthen the pathways in the prefrontal cortex, which enhances your ability to regulate emotions more effectively.

What is the process of emotion regulation?

Emotion regulation is the brain's ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences. It involves the interaction between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, where the prefrontal cortex helps regulate the emotional responses initiated by the amygdala.

What is the 'savoring the senses' technique?

Savoring the senses is a grounding technique where you focus deeply on one of your senses to anchor yourself in the present moment. This could involve engaging with the sense of touch, sight, sound, taste, or smell, helping divert the brain's focus from distressing thoughts to calming sensory experiences.

How does savoring the senses help with emotional overwhelm?

By engaging deeply with one of your senses, you activate the brain's sensory processing centers, helping you create a sense of control and calm. This helps ground you in the present moment and reduces the intensity of overwhelming emotions.

What is the technique of 'labeling emotions'?

Labeling emotions involves identifying and naming the specific emotions you are experiencing. This technique helps activate the prefrontal cortex, which reduces the intensity of emotions triggered by the amygdala and makes it easier to manage those emotions effectively.

Why is labeling emotions important during moments of emotional overwhelm?

Labeling emotions helps separate you from the emotion itself, creating mental space to process and manage it. This technique helps engage the prefrontal cortex, allowing for a more measured and thoughtful response to intense emotions.

What are the benefits of using an emotion wheel or Essential Tools card deck?

An emotion wheel or the Essential Tools card deck can help you identify and name your emotions more effectively, especially in the moment when you're feeling overwhelmed. These tools provide guidance on specific emotions, which helps you process them and avoid being overwhelmed by them.