Welcome to this bonus episode! For the next few weeks I’ll be putting out some bonus content, and today we will explore coping skills. It’s a phrase that’s become a buzzword in the psychology world right now, along with emotional regulation, feelings, and trauma. Let’s clarify these concepts that may have gotten watered down with a closer look.
Show Highlights:
● “Emotional regulation” defined and explained: what it is and what it is not
● The definition, Part 1: “Emotional regulation is the ability to respond to the ongoing demands of experience with a range of emotions and in a manner that is socially tolerable . . .” It is OK to have your feelings!
● The definition, Part 2: “ . . . and sufficiently flexible to permit spontaneous reactions, as well as the ability to delay spontaneous reactions as needed.” Being emotionally regulated doesn’t mean you are a robot!
● What it means to operate within your “window of tolerance,” the optimal zone of arousal (not in a sexual sense, but nervous system activation) for a person to function in everyday life
● How your window of tolerance has red zones at the top and bottom of hyper- and hypo-arousal
● The learning zone vs. the comfort zone
● How coping skills help us bring ourselves back to the window of tolerance in the comfort zone
● Why we should morally neutralize ALL coping skills
● Examples of coping skills that help you stay out of the red zones and regulate well
● Why self-compassion is THE most important coping skill
Resources and Links:
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Get KC’s book, How to Keep House While Drowning
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