Surely most of you have heard the phrase “defeat yourself and win a thousand battles.” It is this phrase that captures the whole essence of psychological self-regulation. The ability to keep oneself, control one’s emotions and behavior in various situations is a very important and vital factor for survival in modern society.
Self-regulation, practiced and properly conscious, contributes to prosperity and the fight against stress. To allow yourself to reach this level, you must be clearly aware of all types and features of self-control.
What is self-regulation and its types
Therapist Andrea Bell defines self-regulation as the ability to control and restrain oneself from impulsive actions and emotions. The ability to self-regulate helps to resist and thereby control one’s place in society, which indicates the flexibility of a person’s emotional and behavioral state.
In psychology, there are two types of self-regulation:
– Emotional – this is the ability to manage your state and emotions. At the moment of depression, cheer yourself up and the opportunity to calm down during a period of upset feelings,
– behavioral is the ability to act for the benefit of one’s long-term interests. More precisely, it is the ability to react to various situations, contrary to your feelings.
This is easy to understand by the example of the queue at the checkout. When you are tired, and the cashier is slow and clumsy , and even makes mistakes that lead to proceedings. To his apologies and the question of whether he delayed you much, you would rather answer, no with a smile on your face, than express everything that you think about him.
For example, properly developed self-regulation can also include:
– the child stops tantrums at the offer in return to buy him a new toy,
– the decision of people to take a break in a sharp discussion in order to prevent a quarrel and not bring the situation to insults,
– choice of low-calorie food, if there is a desire to lose weight.
Such control of emotions helps to achieve certain goals, solve many important tasks, and even become a leader in your environment.
It is important to understand that self-regulation includes and strengthens such abilities of a person:
– the use of self-control in order to behave with dignity in society and not succumb to weaknesses: alcohol, smoking, the use of abusive words,
– the ability to manage your energy in order to properly distribute the load and achieve the desired goals,
– the ability to remain calm and restraint in unpleasant and difficult situations,
– the ability to switch and cope with workload and stress in difficult situations.
It is stress and stressful situations that are decisive factors in self-regulation and the ability to manifest it consciously and unconsciously.
What is stress and why is it dangerous?
Stress is an invisible weapon that leads to the destruction of body cells and eventually manifests itself through various diseases. After the occurrence of a stressful situation in the human brain, impulses are formed that are sent to the cardiovascular , immune and endocrine systems. This is quite enough not only to break self-control and lose vigilance, but also to cause a number of complex diseases. If stress becomes chronic, its effects can become devastating.
Renowned neuroendocrinologist McEwen , winner of many prizes and awards, proved:
– prolonged stress has a very bad effect on human memory, which leads to atrophy of neurons,
– acute and prolonged stress suppresses the immune functions of the body, makes it weak and defenseless to resistance,
– in the process of stress in the human body, glucocorticoids are produced, which in the short term have a beneficial effect on it. But as a result of long-term stress and increased levels of glucocorticoids in the body, this prevents the work of insulin in the body, which promotes the absorption of glucose.
It is important to note that stress interferes with:
– control your own fear
– reduces reproductive functions in the stronger sex,
– damages teeth and gums,
– leads to imbalance in the whole body.
Modern self-regulation techniques
With the current flow of information and the pace of life, it is very important to be able to control your emotions, desires and be flexible enough in various situations. In order to master these qualities, you need to work in the following areas:
1. Develop mindfulness . Modern methods of meditation contribute to the development of mindfulness and concentration on a specific task. Even in the presence of a large flow of experiences and internal turmoil, the coefficient of mindfulness remains quite high.
2. Use the mental opposition technique . Mental opposition helps to find a balance between negative and positive points, which are often confused when setting a high bar and implementing a planned action.
3. Control your breathing. Properly set breathing not only minimizes stress, but also directly affects emotions. It is important to understand that breathing is very closely related to our emotions, it activates the nervous system and helps to calm down.
4. Use the self-soothing method. In the process of self-comfort, the amount of neurotransmitters in the blood increases, which are responsible for a feeling of peace and confidence. The same technique thereby reduces the effect of anger, sadness and anxiety.
5. Chew gum. Strange as it may sound, it is the monotonous process of chewing that provokes the formation of brain waves that are responsible for appeasement.
6. Move more. Any physical exercises and loads minimize stress and irritability.
The use of the above methods of self-regulation allows you to improve your professional qualities and resistance to any life changes. But at the same time, it is important to understand that you need to learn to accept any emotions, find a replacement for them in a timely manner and be able to distribute them.