Please emotional regulation

Remember ‘Please’

Emotional regulation is a skill, and a way to remember it is with ‘please’. This reduces emotional vulnerability and helps you take care of your mind by taking care of your body. Please stands for:

• PL: treat physical illness
• E: eating
• A: avoid mood-altering substances
• S: sleep
• E: exercise

Treat physical illness

Tend to your body. See your GP when necessary and take prescribed medication and vitamins as needed.

Eating

Balanced eating means not too much or too little. Eating regularly and mindfully throughout the day. Stay away from foods that make you feel overly emotional.

Avoid mood-altering substances

Avoid drugs and only drink alcohol when you are of age and in moderation (if at all). Avoid any drugs that affect your emotional stability.

Sleep

Get a balanced 7 to 9 hours of sleep at night, or whatever amount of sleep helps your feel good. Keep a consistent sleep schedule, especially if you are having difficulty sleeping.

Exercise

Get enough exercise and exercise daily. Try to build up to 20 minutes of daily exercise.

Emotions as a wave

It might be helpful to imagine your emotions as a wave.

Say to yourself “I am feeling anxious” or “I am feeling ___.” Imagine those feelings like waves in the ocean. You cannot stop a strong wave from coming towards you. Do not try to get rid of the emotion or push it away. Do not block or suppress it. At the same time, do not hold onto it or amplify it. Instead, ride the wave of emotion as it will soon pass.

Emotions wheel

Noticing and naming emotions gives us a chance to take a step back and make choices about what to do with them.