How can you cope with emotional flooding. What are the best techniques for managing intense emotions. Which strategies help in regulating overwhelming feelings. How does mindfulness aid in emotional control. Why is identifying feelings crucial for emotional balance. What role does self-soothing play in managing raw emotions. How can a support system help during emotional turmoil.

Understanding Emotional Flooding: The Impact of Raw Emotions

Emotional flooding is a phenomenon that occurs when an individual is overwhelmed by intense, uncontrollable feelings. This experience can be triggered by various factors, including past memories, anticipation of future challenges, or present stressors. The result is often a cascade of raw emotions that can be difficult to manage and may lead to destructive behaviors.

During emotional flooding, one might experience:

• Intense anger, fear, sadness, or depression
• Rapidly shifting emotions
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Physical symptoms of stress

Understanding the nature of emotional flooding is crucial for developing effective coping strategies. By recognizing the signs and triggers, individuals can take proactive steps to manage their emotional responses and maintain a sense of well-being.

Harnessing Controlled Behavior: A First Line of Defense

When faced with overwhelming emotions, engaging in controlled behaviors can be an effective first step towards regulating one’s emotional state. These techniques directly intervene in the stress reaction, helping to calm the adrenalized system.

Deep Belly Breathing: A Powerful Calming Technique

Deep belly breathing, also known as diaphragmatic breathing, is a simple yet powerful tool for managing emotional flooding. This technique involves taking slow, deep breaths that engage the diaphragm, promoting relaxation and reducing stress.

To practice deep belly breathing:

1. Sit or lie in a comfortable position
2. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly
3. Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly expand
4. Exhale slowly through your mouth, feeling your belly contract
5. Repeat for several minutes, focusing on the breath

How often should you practice deep belly breathing? Ideally, incorporate this technique into your daily routine, practicing for 5-10 minutes at a time. This regular practice will make it easier to use the technique effectively during moments of emotional distress.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Releasing Physical Tension

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is another valuable tool for managing emotional flooding. This technique involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups, promoting physical and mental relaxation.

To practice PMR:

1. Find a quiet, comfortable space
2. Starting with your toes, tense the muscles for 5-10 seconds
3. Release the tension and notice the feeling of relaxation
4. Move up through each muscle group in your body
5. Focus on the contrast between tension and relaxation

Can progressive muscle relaxation be combined with deep breathing? Yes, integrating deep breathing with PMR can enhance its effectiveness, providing a comprehensive approach to stress reduction and emotional regulation.

The Power of Mindfulness in Emotional Regulation

Mindfulness, the practice of focusing on the present moment without judgment, can be a powerful tool for managing overwhelming emotions. By grounding oneself in the current moment, individuals can break free from the cycle of rumination on past events or anxiety about the future.

Sensory Awareness: Anchoring in the Present

One effective mindfulness technique is to focus on sensory experiences in the immediate environment. This practice helps redirect attention away from distressing thoughts and emotions, providing a sense of calm and stability.

Try this simple sensory awareness exercise:

• Identify 5 things you can see
• Notice 4 things you can touch
• Recognize 3 things you can hear
• Observe 2 things you can smell
• Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste

By engaging in this exercise, you create a momentary pause in the emotional flooding, allowing your mind to reset and regain a sense of balance. How does this technique work? By focusing on sensory input, you activate different neural pathways, temporarily interrupting the stress response and creating space for more adaptive thinking.

The Importance of Identifying and Acknowledging Feelings

As the initial wave of emotional flooding begins to subside, it becomes crucial to identify and acknowledge the underlying feelings. This process of emotional recognition plays a vital role in understanding and ultimately resolving the source of distress.

Naming Emotions: The First Step to Resolution

The simple act of naming emotions can have a profound impact on our ability to manage them. Research has shown that labeling emotions activates the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking, while simultaneously reducing activity in the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain.

To practice emotional identification:

1. Take a moment to pause and reflect
2. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now?”
3. Try to be as specific as possible (e.g., “frustrated” instead of just “angry”)
4. Acknowledge the emotion without judgment
5. Consider if there are any underlying emotions (e.g., fear beneath anger)

Why is it important to identify underlying emotions? Often, surface-level emotions like anger or irritation mask more vulnerable feelings such as hurt or fear. By recognizing these deeper emotions, we can address the root cause of our distress more effectively.

Developing Self-Soothing Techniques for Emotional Stability

Self-soothing is a crucial skill in managing overwhelming emotions. It involves developing an internal nurturing voice that can provide comfort and perspective during times of distress. This ability to self-nurture is akin to having a supportive parent or friend within, offering reassurance and guidance.

Cultivating a Compassionate Inner Voice

Developing a compassionate inner voice is essential for effective self-soothing. This voice should offer understanding, encouragement, and a balanced perspective on challenging situations.

Try these strategies to cultivate self-compassion:

• Speak to yourself as you would a close friend
• Practice positive self-talk and affirmations
• Challenge negative self-judgments with evidence-based thinking
• Remind yourself that difficult emotions are a normal part of the human experience
• Visualize a compassionate figure offering support and guidance

How does self-compassion differ from self-indulgence? Self-compassion involves acknowledging difficulties while encouraging personal growth and resilience. It’s not about avoiding responsibility or making excuses, but rather about offering oneself kindness and understanding in the face of challenges.

Leveraging Your Support System for Emotional Resilience

Having a strong support system is invaluable when dealing with overwhelming emotions. Trusted friends, family members, or professionals can offer perspective, comfort, and guidance during difficult times. However, building and maintaining such a support network requires intentional effort and openness.

Building a Reliable Support Network

Creating a robust support system involves identifying individuals who can offer genuine support without exacerbating negative emotions. These are people who can listen empathetically, provide balanced perspectives, and offer constructive advice when needed.

Steps to build and maintain a support network:

1. Identify trustworthy individuals in your life
2. Cultivate open and honest communication
3. Practice vulnerability by sharing your feelings and experiences
4. Offer support in return, fostering reciprocal relationships
5. Seek professional help if needed, such as a therapist or counselor

What if you don’t have a strong support system? In such cases, consider joining support groups, community organizations, or seeking professional help to begin building connections. Online communities can also provide a starting point for developing a support network.

Integrating Coping Strategies for Long-Term Emotional Well-being

Managing overwhelming emotions effectively requires a multifaceted approach that integrates various coping strategies. By combining controlled behavior techniques, mindfulness practices, emotional identification, self-soothing, and support systems, individuals can develop a comprehensive toolkit for emotional regulation.

Creating a Personalized Emotional Regulation Plan

Developing a personalized plan for managing emotional flooding can help individuals respond more effectively to intense emotions when they arise. This plan should incorporate various strategies and be flexible enough to adapt to different situations.

Components of an effective emotional regulation plan:

• Immediate grounding techniques (e.g., deep breathing, sensory awareness)
• Emotion identification and acceptance practices
• Self-soothing and self-compassion exercises
• List of supportive individuals to contact when needed
• Long-term strategies for building emotional resilience (e.g., regular mindfulness practice, therapy)

How often should you review and update your emotional regulation plan? It’s beneficial to revisit and refine your plan regularly, perhaps monthly or quarterly, to ensure it remains relevant and effective as your circumstances and emotional needs evolve.

By implementing these strategies and developing a personalized approach to emotional regulation, individuals can better manage overwhelming emotions and maintain a greater sense of well-being. Remember, managing raw emotions is a skill that can be developed and refined over time with practice and patience.

What To Do When Raw Emotions Are Overwhelming

When confronted with a difficult life situation, people sometimes have an experience which psychotherapists would call “emotional flooding.”  This refers to an experience every human being has had, where raw emotions are “triggered” and the person is overcome with out of control stressful feelings and thoughts.  Sometimes there is one feeling much more in the foreground – such as anger, fear, sadness, or depression.  Other times feelings shift and change as the experience unfolds.  Learning how to manage and even head off this reaction is essential to maintaining a greater sense of well-being and relating intimately and effectively with others in a deep authentic way.

Emotional flooding can be triggered by the remembering of past events, by thinking about and anticipating future difficulties, by stressors occurring in the moment.  Often a current stimulus sets off a chain reaction and the person is lost in “associative neural networks” that recreate trauma and pain.   The condition can be debilitating and behavior that comes out of the reaction can be destructive and make things worse.

Helping people learn how to remain responsive and adaptive when strong emotions are in play is an essential part of our work. Here are some beginning steps that could help you keep your feet on the ground:

Tap Into Controlled Behavior

Using behavioral means first is usually a good idea because when flooding occurs it is difficult to think clearly and keep perspective. Deep belly breathing and progressive muscle relaxation intervene directly to mediate the stress reaction and calm the adrenalized system down.  The calming occurs incrementally in small steps as you catch the emotional wave and initiate deep belly breathing for example.  The effort is repeated as the flooding tries to reassert itself.  You can read about both techniques using an internet search.  A very good book to consider getting is “The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Work Book” by Martha Davis and others, which includes these techniques and many others. It is best to practice these techniques routinely so they are available under high stress conditions. Other behavioral steps can also be taken – exercise, a walk, a warm bath that is soothing, seeking support from others.

Mindfulness

Another good first step can be to contact and focus on physical sense impressions in the current moment – what is seen, heard, or touched as in noticing the sensations of the chair you are sitting in against your back.  Many times people are reacting to the remembered past or the imagined future as a prelude to flooding. Grounding the self in this moment can be very relieving as there is often no problem there!; and the thought and actual experience that “I’m ok right now” can have impact.  Again the effort is made to just reduce tension incrementally, and practicing present sense awareness routinely when you have a spare moment or two, will make this resource much more available when really needed.

Identify Feelings

At some point in the calming process the feelings themselves can be named, acknowledged, and accepted. Often there are underlying feelings – particularly more vulnerable feelings, like hurt or fear underlying anger – that can be contacted and facilitate the movement towards calming and ultimately resolution. This is part of taking stock of things, and not getting stuck in a closed emotional loop, where anger for example just feeds on itself.

Self-Soothe

The capacity to “self-soothe” and self-nurture in healthy ways is essential. The capacity to self-soothe is like having a nurturing parental voice inside that helps the self face reality while encouraging a sense that “it will be OK.”  The “adult” part of the ego can engage in perspective taking that undoes the black and while thinking that naturally arises in a stress reaction, leading to more clarity, and effective problem solving.   In our work as therapists we help clients further develop these vital capacities – to self-nurture and think clearly – even under intense duress.

Lean On Your Support System

Having a support system is invaluable. A support system involves trusted others who won’t simply jump on the bandwagon and inflame negative thoughts and feelings further.  Rather these are others who can hold and nurture you, as well as offer perspective and guidance as you work through difficult emotional states.   Unfortunately many people in our culture are relatively isolated and may not have such a support system, so it’s part of our job as therapists to help clients build them.

If you would like to develop these life skills further, please give us a call and visit us in Cary, or Chapel Hill.

Emotional Triggers Leaving You Feeling Raw and Beaten Down?

• Your 3-year-old refuses to hold your hand while crossing the street in spite of your reasoning and even bribes. Having to grab his hand to force compliance is irritating. Why can’t he just listen? In your irritation, you think you would have never gotten away with this as a kid.
• Your boss doesn’t seem to notice your extra effort, making you feel like you did as a child when your parents didn’t notice how hard you were trying.
• Your trustworthy spouse urges you to relax and let him help, triggering fears of other partners’ broken promises and disappointments.

Source: Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

Whether in parenting, at work, or in our closest relationships, our buttons can fire at any time, setting off a chain of neurological associations that can feel hard to understand, let alone control. Understanding a bit more about what’s going on in your brain when you are triggered can help you gain a better sense of control.

Our brains are built to help us survive. Thanks to our survival-tuned brain anatomy (with the memory-storing hippocampus being adjacent to the threat-activating amygdala), we are set up to remember vividly and feel danger when we encounter situations that are similar to others that have previously hurt us. We interpret these similar situations as being potentially dangerous.

With your memory being strongest for events from the past that are particularly painful, your emotional memories stand at the ready to protect you when you are at risk. When your buttons are pushed, you are triggered, and you respond with strong and sometimes confusing emotional reactions to a present situation that, in some way, reminds you of past pain.

Designed to protect us from danger, our buttons represent our own personal catalog of past threats that amplify protective reactions when we encounter similar situations. They are enacted quickly and are part of how our brain prioritizes safety at all costs without a great deal of thought.

When you get triggered, understand this is your memory and brain anatomy working for you, aiming to protect you from reexperiencing pain, and ultimately your safety.

Our formidable memory of past threats alerts us to situations in the present that remind us of the past. It can be surprisingly accurate—but it can also misfire.

Sometimes one of the most uncomfortable things about being triggered is the fear of the past repeating itself, and of course, your desire for it not to. After all, you are no longer in the past without control or knowledge, you are in the present, and things are not the same. Your partner is not your previous one, your coworker is not your parent, and your child is not your younger sibling.

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

—Stephen King

Because we lack control over the associations and the frightening feelings that flow from them, our triggers can start to feel overly sensitive and disruptive. However, as we develop a better understanding of our triggers, we can better recognize them when they are happening and set up more control over our reactions.

Here are three key steps to take back control when your buttons get pushed.

1. Identifying your triggers/buttons

When you can recognize your buttons being pushed, you start to develop your own understanding of what being triggered means. This recognition allows you to notice the situations and patterns where you feel similar, but not the same, as a past experience, with its leftover fears and anxieties.

This recognition alone can help lower your anxiety and allow you to direct your focus to the actual problems at hand.

2. Recognizing when your triggers/buttons are pushed

When you notice yourself getting triggered, you turn on more parts of your brain to bear on the issue, ultimately affording yourself more control over your trigger reactions. With practice, you get better at recognizing faster when you are triggered and why. This is a turning point for most people, where instead of feeling controlled by their reactions, they start to feel more in control.

3. Sorting out past triggers and refocusing on the present

The past and the present can seem one and the same when you are triggered. Yet identifying past hurts that are flaring up in the present situation can help you start detangling the past from the present.

While memories from the past are working to protect you, the present situation is what deserves your attention. Teasing out irrational fears related to the past can help you focus on the rational fears of the present. When your mind starts spinning about what might be happening, try to pull back the possibilities so you can focus more on the probabilities. Focusing on the facts can help calm your racing mind and emotions.

Defining your buttons can be a powerful starting place to work through past fears and anxiety that inevitably get triggered throughout life. While your survival-oriented brain anatomy keeps these situational memories at the ready to protect you, you get to decide how you understand your experience, and what you do with it.

Getting clear on your buttons and applying your awareness can be a powerful coping tool in managing your strong and confusing emotions. Practicing these steps can help cultivate your resilience, and ultimately regain the emotional control you want to have at your fingertips the next time your buttons get pushed.

Looking for more help managing your buttons and gaining more control? Check out my book, Hack Your Anxiety.

Is it possible to feed a dog with raw liver? We will figure out whether it is possible to feed a dog with liver, find out how to do it correctly.

Useful properties of the liver

Offal contains:

• iron — one of the main components of hemoglobin;
• zinc – prevents skin diseases;
• copper – protects the body from anemia, supports bones and joints;
• sodium – responsible for nerve impulses, normal cell function;
• vitamin E – regulates blood pressure, reduces the risk of neoplasms;
• vitamin A – strengthens the immune system, is responsible for sharp vision, plays a role in bone formation;
• vitamin D – responsible for the health of the thyroid gland, prevents rickets;
• vitamins of group B – support the nervous system, the beauty of the coat, protect against infections.

The exact composition of the offal depends on its type. The question is often asked whether it is possible to feed a dog with beef liver. Yes, as well as turkey and lamb. It is important to regularly alternate different types of product. Beef liver contains 10 times more copper than turkey. In turn, poultry offal contains more tryptophan to regulate appetite, normal sleep, and emotional state. Lamb liver is identical in composition to beef, but it causes allergies much less often.

Disadvantages of feeding a dog with liver

Undesirable reactions are observed when the product is in excess in the diet. The best option is to replace meat with liver 2-3 times a week. You can also add a small amount of offal to the meat on a daily basis. The liver should not be the basis of the diet, because:

• excess copper creates an increased load on the dog’s liver;
• vitamin A – increases the risk of arthritis;
• vitamins of group B – impairs the functioning of the nervous system;
• iron – creates problems in the work of the heart.

Dogs that are constantly on offal often develop stool disorders.

Which types of liver should not be given to a dog?

Optimal types of liver – beef, turkey and lamb.

Raw or cooked food?

Another topical question: is it possible to feed a dog with raw liver. Since the body of a predator is adapted to digest raw food, it is better to give the pet just such food. However, by-products must be purchased from sellers who are ready to provide a certificate confirming the quality and bacteriological safety.

Heat treatment destroys a significant proportion of protein, vitamins and minerals. To minimize the loss of valuable substances, you need to steam the liver, and not boil it in hot water.

You can order ready-made natural diets with beef, lamb, turkey liver in our online store. We prepare balanced food for dogs based on farm meat. The composition does not contain cheap carbohydrates (corn, millet), soy, flavors. The products correspond to the natural eating habits of dogs. Meat and other components are cut into small pieces for proper absorption of nutrients.

We offer a choice of fully meat menus (meat + offal), food with the addition of rice, vegetables, herbs, vegetable oils. For a change, you can pick up canned food with natural collagen for your pet. As a treat to encourage during training, dried cookies with liver are suitable – without salt, sugar, monosodium glutamate.

Thoughts about isolation and loneliness through the prism of emotional anguish — Music on DTF

What by tags: metalcore / alternative metal

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hits

Among the entire micro-scene from the 2000s, TDWP is one of the few who did not radically change their sound in favor of fashion trends, but chose the path of gradual transformation. Patience and hard work paid off!

Year after year, album after album, they made little changes to the basic metalcore frame, modifying it to fit their ideology: less straightforward ‘tin’ and breaks to please raw emotion , atmosphere and harmonious vocal environment.

In addition to the Christian worldview and the ineradicable emphasis on the textual component, permeated with human sorrow and existentialism, the tandem of the raucous scream by Mike Granica and the clean parts of by Jeremy DePoiter remained the hallmark of the group, and without this couple their fate could have been much less positive. The changes were more often related to the nature and conceptual part of their work.

As for history, the first major changes were brewing with the release of “8:18” and “Transit Blues” , but the first big step towards popularization was “The Act” , which decided to finally blur the line between old and new.

It was a bold and somewhat important step for TDWP , but the record did not give a clear answer to the question – what will happen next? Will the group follow in the footsteps of conditional Architects and BMTH , introducing more newfangled features and simplifying itself to please the masses, or will it remain true to its roots? “Color Decay” goes further – chooses both options.

Sacrifice

The album somehow flattens the idea of ​​alt-metal and primordially correct ‘grandfathers’ together without significant sacrifices for both entities.

“Color Decay” is one of the best examples of wise adaptation and maturation with minimal loss to old fans that I’ve seen in years; again, Mike and Jeremy are in place, driving riffs and dramatic choruses are present, but the scenery itself is different – in some ways is dimmer than , depressive, everywhere referring to the era of isolation and loneliness. The sound is richer in detail and smoother in action, allowing the TDWP to capture attention faster and better press on pain points.

The record has a rather harmless opening: ‘Exhibition’ and ‘Salt’ carefully give the very intro without jumping into the hole with a running start, and then the viewer is picked up by singles ‘Watchtower’ and ‘Sacrifice’ , showing teeth more actively, and ‘Noise’ with ‘ Broken’ , delving into reflection and strong textual ins and outs.

The turning point is ‘Time’ , the most touching melodic/lyrical track, which will be competed with pumped drama ‘Twenty-Five’ , a brutal ode to drug addiction ‘Hallucination’ and a brutal finale ‘Cancer’ .

Time

“Color Decay” The is beautiful and the is the ‘s most confident step towards affordability. The team approached the issue of changes thoroughly, and in the end I can only state the fact – only they could record such an album, and no one else. Naturally, the merit is again on painful cries Mike (how I love him) and the ability to poetically squeeze a tear out of the listener, and yet this work leaves the most consistently positive emotions over the last ten years of their career. I recommend!

Cover

Thank you all for your attention, and I remind you that this is only my subjective opinion and it does not have to coincide with yours.