How do you regain control?

[in_BPD_hell]

Hi guys...

For those with emotional dysregulation either through bpd or an eating disorder how do you regain control when you feel extreme emotion?

What things do you do? What helps you most?

[sherlock holmes]

Probably understanding that I'm not out of control when I have an extreme emotion. I'm learning that emotions are natural, and the less I fight against them the less extreme they will be.

So instead of self harming or binging to force the emotion to go away, I have been trying to sit with it and learn that nothing bad happens. The emotion always reduces in intensity by itself, and I feel so much better for coping without hurting myself.

If sitting with it feels too much to bear then I use distractions like listening to music, going for a walk, watching TV, reading etc.

It's a long and slow process, and I'm having CBT which has been a huge help.

[in_BPD_hell]

Thank you very helpful xx

[Albus Dumbledore]

I tend to withdraw from the situation, vent to someone who isn't involved in it, and I can trust, and then give myself a couple of days to wait for the emotions to subside so that I can deal with whatever is happening in a controlled way.
During those couple of days, I tend to try to use skilld such as self-soothing, and free-writing. Also doing pros-cons lists can help me at that time.

[Rosie3901505]

I used to struggle with this a lot, and I think it is safe to say that everyone on this site does too. In my opinion one of the most comforting things about bipolar disorder is that every state we enter is temporary. It changes and we won't feel like this forever. And that goes for any emotion. I have emergency meds for mania so I usually take those when I recognize it, but drawing on areas I'd like to hurt, journaling, breathing, talking to a safe person or even just distractions really help me.