Intense Emotions
“What’s wrong with me?”
Have you ever asked yourself this questions? Many of my clients have. Often they’ve gotten feedback from others that they’re “too emotional,” “too dramatic,” or simply “too much.” They’ve come question what's wrong but aren’t quite sure what the solution is or what direction to turn. All they know is that the world seems more intense for them. When they’re angry, they can fly off the handle at what might seem trivial to others. When they’re sad, they can cry for hours. When they’re anxious, they feel like they’re in a bottomless pit or fear. Often intense emotions can cause problems in your relationships or in your work life. If you’ve dealt with intense emotions, you know that they can be all-consuming in the moment - taking over your usual ability to be rational and respond wisely to situations. It can be easy to want to numb out or escape. But there is a better way.
“I constantly feel like I’m drowning...”
Some common struggles that can be related to intense emotions
Intense periods of anxiety, anger, sadness, or irritation
Sudden mood changes
Impulsively or reactivity
Feeling easily effected by other people’s feelings or moods; being an “empath”
Relationship problems or difficulties
People in your life might have said that you’re “too dramatic” or “too much”
Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) or being a highly sensitive person (HSP)
The path to calm and lightness.
If you relate to these struggles, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone and you’re not as broken as you might be feeling. When I work with clients experiencing intense emotions, we work on understanding where these intense emotions stem from, with attention to past childhood experiences and family dynamics as well as psychological and neurological influences. Often there are nervous system factors, attachment wounds, and other traumas that contribute to difficulties in this area. Once we understand how these factors contribute, we will work on relevant skills as needed to improve daily functioning. Some of these skills may include mindfulness skills to assist with self-monitoring thoughts and emotions, emotion regulation skills to help with reducing overall emotional intensity, distress tolerance skills to get through intense emotions when they do arise, and interpersonal skills to help with any relationship conflicts that may exist. The overall affect is more insight, self-compassion, self-control, and equanimity in your life. I want this for you, and I know that we can get you there!