What is better, being spontaneous or making preparations?

While being able to respond spontaneously to some situations can open doors to new perspectives and experiences, sometimes good preparation and planning can be of great advantage.

Let’s assume you’re going on a trip. You make sure that you have enough money to go, then before you leave you pack your suitcase. You might think that the weather could change, so you pack clothing for warm and cooler days. You might be on medication, so you make sure that you have enough for the time you are away from home. You might also visualize situations which could occur and how to prepare best and what to take with you that could help in those situations.

Now, we can apply the same concept to our emotions - getting prepared for an emotional challenge. What are the tools and skills you really need to cope with your emotions?

Here are some things I find quite helpful to learn about and have for rainy days in my head.

1. I believe preparation starts with training our nervous system to stay calm. This can be done by

1. Meditation, formal (sitting) or informal like walking meditation, yoga, breathing exercises

2. Healthy food, making sure your nerves get the vitamins they need like vitamin B

3. Getting enough sleep

What do you do to keep your nervous system healthy and your emotions stable?

2. Another very important part is to learn skills so we can be prepared and reduce stress ahead of time. It is more than having a safety plan. It is about what we need to do and how we need to prepare for unanticipated challenges we may face.

You might think about an upcoming situation that gives you discomfort, but is tolerable when you just imagine it right now.

1. Relax with a deep breathing exercise, music or what helps you best.

2. Then think about the details of that challenging situation. What kind of uncomfortable emotions come up?

3. Write down everything you notice and any ideas you have about how you could cope with the situation and your emotional reactions.

4. Make a plan about how you could respond. Include what to say and how to say it, what to be aware of in our thoughts, what happens before we become angry or irritable, and what to do to avoid having a full blown emotional outburst

5. Relax again by following your breath or with a deep breathing exercise, music or what helps you best.

   
   

How are you currently dealing with upcoming challenges?

What are you doing to manage your emotions?

What ideas do you have about how you might improve your abilities to cope with emotions?

Kindly click here and fill out this short form to add or remove your names from the tag list and you will start getting announcements of any new threads and posts you are subscribed to in Therapy Subcom.

That way you can participate in all the latest developments of this community. Please allow 4-7 days for your request to be processed.

Taglist

@adventorousBranch3786 @allnaturalWillow7138 @ambitiousGlobe3422 @amiablePeace77 BeamsOfHope00 @blissedNblessed @D@dlynn88911221 esmynn6789 @FaithMagic @fruityPond7887 @helgafy @imaginativepear6493 @Jordan1872 @LisaMeighanMBPsS @meaningfulSilence @Scarletpear1945 @ShapeshiftSystem @soulsings @warmheart0890