Emotional Regulation Archives

A 5-Step Mindfulness Grounding Technique To Ease Anxiety & Why Mindfulness Works

November 28, 2019November 26, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

Thumbnail for mindfulness psychological grounding technique

While a lot of psychological techniques have a learning curve and take time to make tangible improvements in life, some work within seconds. One of these is the popular 5-step psychological sensory grounding mindfulness technique. It is a widely practiced psychological & self-help “first-aid” technique which aims to stop uncontrolled thoughts, spiraling, mental chaos, growing …

16 Ways To Train & Increase Your Empathy

October 1, 2019October 1, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

16 ways to increase empathy - cover photo

Empathy is a desirable human trait and it is central to relationships, community well-being, and professional growth. In what people call emotional intelligence – the sensitivity & the skill to regulate, understand, and use emotions – empathy is a necessary force. On some level, empathy is natural. Most people are aware that others have unique …

The Effect of Reading Fiction on The Brain: Do Books Increase Empathy?

November 12, 2019August 8, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

The effect of reading on the brain: Can books increase empathy?

There is some debate on whether reading literary fiction has any effect on the brain. Can reading improve empathy, mentalizing (being aware of one’s and other’s thoughts), and desirable attitudes? Research in this area looks at the theory of mind and social cognition. Let us first understand these terms. Theory of Mind – This framework …

Brain-Based Learning: Theory, Strategies, And Concepts

November 25, 2019August 6, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

One of the strongest applications of research in psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science is brain-based learning. It allows us to leverage research on how the brain learns in creating a new set of guiding principles for learning, teaching, training, and education. What is Brain-Based Learning? Brain-based learning is a paradigm of learning which addresses student …

7 Proven and Practical Emotional Regulation Skills & Techniques [How-To]

October 10, 2019July 16, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

We all experience emotions with a huge subjective component. Most of us can recognize the emotions we experience, and sometimes we don’t know what to do with them. Whether it is trauma, a bad day, a terrible event, uncontrolled anger, pent-up stress, or unadulterated anxiety and sadness, emotions and thoughts manifest in ways we don’t …

Third Person Self-Talk Is An Effective Way To Reduce Anxiety And Regulate Emotions – Insights From The Construal Level Theory

July 24, 2019June 21, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

Third person self-talk is a powerful way to regulate emotions and reduce anxiety

Research shows that self-talk, when done in 3rd person, can be an effective method of emotional self-regulation which can reduce anxiety. It provides the necessary psychological distance between the self and anxiety-inducing contexts. This also helps when you are thinking about negative events and ruminating anxiety-ridden thoughts. This psychological distance allows a person to reflect …

Biophilia: Sensory Contact With Nature Can Improve Your Overall Well-being & Mental Health

July 24, 2019May 13, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

Humans love nature and connecting with nature improves wellbeing

Do you like it when you are surrounded by nature? Do you have a primeval desire to connect with nature? Most of us would answer that with a resounding YES. There is a term for that. Biophilia: The innate tendency of humans to connect with nature and other lifeforms. An exciting hypothesis emerged in 1984 …

You Procrastinate Because Of Emotions, Not Laziness. Regulate Them To Stop Procrastinating!

November 19, 2019May 4, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

I am so stressed that relaxing makes me more stressed because I am not working on what's making me stressed

There are two trains of thought – One leads to procrastination and one leads to motivation. And somewhere in between, there is a junction called anxiety. Let’s first look at the procrastination train of thought (at least that’s going somewhere, amirite?). People often think procrastination is about time management, laziness, or a weak will but …

The Social Psychology Of Heavy Metal & Rock Music: Research On Metalheads

October 19, 2019March 10, 2019 by Aditya Shukla

Picture this: A bunch of unique looking headbanging people listening to heavy music; entering a whirlpool of human collision in front of their favorite artist; raising their fists in the air; raising the devil’s horns \m/. What is that all about? Who are they? These are the metalheads. What is their psychology? We are going …