What is Emotional Regulation and what does it look like?

Emotional dysregulation refers to when a person has difficulty controlling or regulating their emotions to a variety of situations. It is common for all of us to become emotionally dysregulated; as children, teenagers, adults, and even in older age emotional dysregulation can occur to all of us and with a variety of triggers. Periods of dysregulation can be brief or prolonged, which can cause disruptions in one's relationships (with parents, friends, sibling) and their daily functioning. Emotional dysregulation can also lead to or be commonly associated with depression and anxiety, even in children. A person who has become emotionally dysregulated can react in an emotionally exaggerated way to their environment and to challenges inside themselves. They may display outbursts of anger, crying, accusatory comments, passive aggressiveness, or by creating conflict with those around them; giving those around them clues that their emotions are getting out their reach of control. There are many ways that you can help your child in this situation.

References for this post: 

1. Psychological Care & Healing Center (n.d.). Emotional dysregulation. https://www.pchtreatment.com/who-we-treat/emotional-dysregulation/#:~:text=Emotional%20dysregulation%20refers%20to%20the,emotional%20responses%20to%20provocative%20stimuli.

Additional links: 

https://www.childdevelop.ca/sites/default/files/files/Tip%20sheet%20-%20Emotion%20Regulation.pdf

https://hes-extraordinary.com/the-zones-of-regulation#:~:text=September%202%2C%202020-,Zones%20of%20Regulation%20%E2%80%93%20An%20Overview%20for%20Parents,to%20teach%20at%20home%2C%20too.

https://www.davidsongifted.org/search-database/entry/a10887