Learn more about healthy ways of managing your emotions.
People with PTSD may view their emotions as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and frightening. However, emotions can be helpful if we understand what emotion we are experiencing and why we are experiencing it. Learn more about what makes up an emotion.
Our emotions may feel very unpleasant and unpredictable at times; however, they are necessary and serve very important functions. Learn more about the function of emotions in this article.
People with PTSD often experience intense emotional reactions, and sometimes, these emotional reactions occur in response to other emotions. For example, a person with PTSD may feel shame because they are anxious or sad. This type of emotional reaction is called a "secondary emotion." Learn more about secondary emotions, where they come from, and how to cope with them.
We may not think about it much, but practicing self-care is very important to our emotional health. Learn about some factors that may influence the extent with which we feel anxious or depressed.
If you have PTSD, you may find that you often experience very strong emotions, and as a result, managing your emotions may be hard to do. You are not alone. Many people with PTSD experience difficulties regulating their emotions. For example, it has been found that PTSD is linked with difficulties accepting emotions, low emotional awareness, and being unable to control impulsive behaviors when di…
Learn how to monitor your emotions in order to determine what coping skills are working best for you.
Increasing emotional awareness is very important. People can better manage their emotions if they know exactly what emotions they are feeling in the first place. Learn the different levels of emotional awareness, as well as some ways to increase the awareness of your emotions.
Learn about distraction as a way of coping with strong, uncomfortable feelings.
People with PTSD may have emotions that feel out-of-control and unpredictable. As a result, they can be very difficult to manage. Learning how to identify exactly what you are feeling in the moment can make it easier to respond to them in a healthy and effective way.
Putting aside time in your schedule to take part in positive and pleasurable activities can improve your mood and lessen or keep away depression and some symptoms of PTSD.
It is important to develop coping strategies, focused on reducing distress and improving your mood, that you can do on your own. Learn more about some coping strategies that may be effective in managing your distress.
Writing about your feelings and thoughts (or expressive writing) can be a healthy way of coping with your PTSD. Learn how to cope with your PTSD through writing.
People with PTSD may have higher levels of anger and, as a result, are more likely to have arguments or conflicts with others. Learn how to better manage your anger through the use of "time-outs."
It is very common for people to develop negative beliefs about emotions, and this may be particularly the case for people who have a history of traumatic exposure. Learn more about some common negative beliefs about emotions, their consequences, and how to cope with them.
