Emotional Regulation
The ability to notice and experience emotions without being controlled by them.
What is emotional regulation?
Being present, aware, and in the moment is
What is mindfulness?
In the porcupine metaphor, getting too close can cause pain, but staying too far away can cause this.
What is isolation? Or loneliness?
This part of the brain is responsible for emotional reactions and detecting threats.
What is the Amygdala?
This is the process of making ongoing changes to support a healthier, substance-free life, beyond just stopping use.
What is recovery?
Signals to pay attention to
What are emotions?
True or False: Intense emotions justify poor choices.
What is FALSE?
True or False: A boundary is something you control about your own behavior, not something you force others to do.
What is TRUE?
When stress increases, access to this part of the brain decreases, making it harder to think clearly or make rational decisions.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
These are situations, emotions, or people that increase the urge to use.
What are triggers?
We want to learn to ______________ between feelings and behavior.
What is pause, create space, take a break?
When you create a buffer between an emotion and a behavior, you are
What is mindful and in control?
Boundaries matter because they help us protect our well-being while still allowing this.
What is connection?
According to brain science, when the survival brain takes over, the brain prioritizes this over logic.
What is survival? OR safety?
Research shows that recovery outcomes improve when people have this, whether through peers, therapy, family, or community.
What is connection?
Hunger, Fatigue and Grief are exmaples of this kind of trigger.
What is internal?
Mindfulness is a tool for
What is emotional regulation?
This signal often indicates that a boundary is needed, such as feeling resentful, exhausted, or anxious in a relationship.
What is emotional discomfort or warning signs?
This brain structure can pull up emotional memories from past experiences, making reactions feel more intense in the present.
What is the hippocampus?
This recovery concept reminds us that growth often involves progress, setbacks, and recommitment rather than perfection.
What is progress, not perfection?
When emotions run high, reactions come faster than
What are choices?
This mindfulness skill involves intentionally bringing your attention back to the present moment, such as the breath or bodily sensations, when your mind wanders to the past or future
What is grounding/meditation?
This is the key difference between boundaries and control: boundaries focus on self-respect, while control focuses on this.
What is power over others?
This explains why strong emotional reactions can feel fast, overwhelming, and hard to control, even when we know the consequences.
What is the amygdala overriding the prefrontal cortex?
When a strong emotion shows up in recovery, this ability helps you ride it out without acting on urges, knowing the feeling will pass.
What is distress tolerance?