5 Steps to Calm Strong Negative Emotions of Mental Illness

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• 5 Steps to Calm Strong Negative Emotions of Mental Illness
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• Mental Health Quote

5 Steps to Calm Strong Negative Emotions of Mental Illness

Everyone has emotions. Feelings are part of being human. However, mental illness can intensify ordinary human emotions so much that they can become overwhelming. They can be positive, but it’s more common for emotions to be negative in mental illness. They tend to stick, too, lingering longer in the minds and hearts of people with mental illness. Use these steps to center yourself and stop your intense emotions from controlling you.

• Recognize. Notice when you are beginning to feel upset. Awareness lets you turn things around.
• Pause. Stop for a moment, stepping away from a situation briefly. Breathe deeply for several breaths. This calms the brain and lets you reset.
• Acknowledge and accept. Name what you’re feeling, and recognize it as valid. Remind yourself that emotions are fleeting when you neither cling to them nor fight against them.
• Be present. If you stepped away, return more centered. It’s okay if you still feel angry, sad, or any other emotion. Focus on where you are, what you’re doing, and who you’re with rather than on emotions.

When you follow these steps, your emotions won’t instantly disappear. However, you will become calmer, and your emotions will just tag along for awhile rather than pulling you forcefully in their direction.

Related Articles Dealing with Emotions and Mental Illness

• What is Emotional Health? And How to Improve It?
• The Music of My Emotions
• The Feelings Chart
• Get Control of Your Emotions and Respond Wisely
• Manage Overwhelming Emotions with Healthy Perspectives
• Emotional Resilience — Bounce Back from Difficulty

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: How do you calm down when experiencing intense negative emotions? We invite you to participate by sharing your thoughts, experiences, and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page.

From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Mind the Overlap: When Does Eating Disorder Recovery Start?
• 3 Ways to Prioritize Your Mental Health After Having a Baby
• Is It Mental Health Stigma? Not Everything Is
• Anxiety: Your Superpower
• Coping with a Wide Range of Emotions During Winter Break
• New Intentions and Overcoming Verbal Abuse
• Depression and Ghosts of the Past, Present, and Future
• Schizoaffective Medication and a 20-Pound Weight Gain
• Practice Mental Yoga for Anxiety: Psychological Flexibility
• A 'Recovering from Mental Illness' Goodbye and Thank-You
• How to Reframe Negative Self-Talk Around Body Image
• Mental Health Memes Hurt the Mental Health Conversation
• What to Do When You Have Morning Depression
• Why Convenient Behavior Is Not Always Healthy Behavior

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Why My Mental Illness Recovery Is Important to Me
2. Victim Blaming: 5 Reasons Why Verbal Abuse is Not Your Fault
3. 3 Ways to Get Things Done When You Don't Feel Like It

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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Mental Health Quote

"It’s better to break your own heart by leaving, rather than having that person break your heart every day you’re with them."

Read more abuse quotes.

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That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook or stumbleupon) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week, follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook. Also, check out HealthyPlace on Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest, where you can share your mental health pins on our Share Your Mental Health Experiences board.