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How to deal with Intense Emotions and Self Stigma?

Intense emotions can be part of not just mood disorders but almost every mental illness and personality disorder that people can experience.


A tidal wave of intense emotions can threaten to drown people. But there are ways to deal with them and stay afloat.

Give yourself permission to feel what you feel. 
(Usually) well-meaning people might tell you to cheer up, smile, don’t worry, calm down, etc. You might try to talk yourself out of your feelings, too, because you feel like you “shouldn’t” have them. Thank these others, and yourself, for the input, and then just go ahead and feel the way you do.


Rather than thinking of your emotions as “good” or “bad,” simply let them be what they are. Emotions aren't valued judgments.


Refrain from reacting.
 When your feelings are strong, just be with them. Once, they’ve subsided, you’ll be in a position to take rational action.


Above all, accept yourself and your feelings. Rather than fight intense emotions, feelings. And then you’ll be in a place to keep moving forward. When you deal with your feelings, they have a way of shrinking so they no longer consume you.


Be hopeful and positive.

Say positive things to yourself and others (e.g., “I will make it through this,” “I’m trying my hardest,” “I’m a good person”). Remember that persistence is the best way to solve your problems and avoid failure. Try to keep a good sense of humor.

Count your blessings.
 Think about things you are thankful for. Recognize positive feelings, good things about yourself, and changes for the better.

 If you can’t do something to make the situation better, don’t make it worse. Sometimes you may feel like there’s nothing you can do to make the situation better. Try to avoid doing silly things that may make the situation worse. Doing nothing may be better.


 Intense emotions often come in response to stress. Monitor your stress level and take steps to control your stress. Some stress management strategies actually work well for dealing with intense emotions too.

Avoid thinking too much about your feelings. Instead, focus on positive steps you can take to feel better.



Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.


Try to understand other people’s points of view. Think about how they will feel in response to your actions or words. Remember that hurting others won’t make your life better, make people like you, or help you get what you want.


Don’t say or do the first thing that comes to mind. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Get into the habit of thinking about what you want to say or do before you say or do it.



 Wait and deal with problems when you are calm.


Strong emotions will keep you from thinking clearly. Calm yourself down first — count to 10, take a break or do something relaxing and fun. Then, think about the consequences and possible ways to solve your problems.

Remember that nobody can solve all their problems by themselves. Talk to trusted family, friends, and professionals about your feelings and about how they cope with strong emotions. Ask for help when you need it. Doing so will let people know you value their support and offers chances to build relationships.

Recognize the difficulties and challenges you face, and how hard you are working to make things better. Give yourself credit when you control your emotions and express your feelings in positive ways.

Instead of acting on your feelings, use them as information.


Strong emotions can be very difficult to manage at the moment. However, distraction is a coping strategy that can be used to help you get through these difficult times. Distraction is anything you do to temporarily take your attention off of a strong emotion.


   Take responsibility for your present emotion.
     Feel it in your body.
     Label your feeling.
     Express what you feel.
     Share what you feel with someone you trust.
    Release the toxic feeling through a ritual.
   Celebrate the release and move on.


Forgive your emotional triggers.
  Your emotional triggers may be your best friend, your family members, yourself or all of the above. You may feel a sudden wave of anger when your friend “does that thing she does,” or a stab of self-loathing when you remember something you could have done differently. But when you forgive, you detach. You detach from the resentment, the jealousy or the fury lingering within you. You allow people to be who they are without the need for escalating emotions. As you forgive, you will find yourself disassociating from the harsh feelings attached to your being.



How to deal with self-stigma?


Mental illness is a bully. Worse, it’s a voice that originates within us, so all the cruel thoughts come right from our own mind. This self-stigma is part of nearly every single mental illness and personality disorder.


This is only a partial list of the thoughts and feelings that come with mental health struggles. These beliefs and emotions can stop us in our tracks. It’s hard to move forward confidently when you’re stigmatizing yourself. Despite how it might feel, you can stand up to mental illness, laugh in the face of self-stigma, and be kind to yourself. Here are some ways:

Befriend yourself;


talk to yourself the way you talk to a friend; get to know yourself in ways that have nothing to do with your illness
Practice self-care; eat well; exercise; get the right amount of sleep
Keep a running list of your strengths and passions
When you counter the self-stigmatizing words of mental illness with positive actions, you are on your way to making your real, compassionate voice the one you hear the most loudly.

Remember that ups and downs are normal parts of life. Realize that your feelings are a common, normal response to your experience. Try to look forward to the ups! Remember that you have the power to control your emotions. You can choose to change the way you feel and the way you react. Your ability to control strong emotions will get better with practice.

Stop the cycle before your emotions get too intense.

Watch out for early warning signs of intense emotions because it’s harder to calm down once they get out of control.



Source:

https://www.verywellmind.com/ways-of-managing-intense-emotions-in-ptsd-2797245

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