Hi, Sam here.

Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Thursday.

So one of the most common issues people seek mindfulness for is emotional regulation.

Whether it's anger issues or self-doubt, having emotions get the best of us impacts

our relationships, our work life, and our overall health and well-being.

I was so fascinated with the world of emotions that I pursued a master's degree in emotion

science.

So I want to highlight two ways that we tend to regulate our emotions.

One is beneficial and one much less so.

They're called re-apraisal and suppression.

You may already have experience with suppression.

I think all of us suppress urges and pulses and emotions at times when we think that expressing

them may be inappropriate.

This kind of restraint is often appropriate and perfectly healthy.

So for example, if your coworker says something infuriating, you may suppress your anger

temporarily so that you don't flip the table and take time to figure out how you want to

handle the situation wisely to preserve your job.

However, if we use suppression as our primary way of regulating our emotions, it can have

some serious consequences.

Like if you shut down whenever you and your romantic partner have an argument, maybe your

standoffish or quiet instead of saying how you feel.

This can lead to resentment and a rift in the relationship.

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