What is Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage your own emotional state. It influences when you experience emotions, how intensely they feel, and how you express them. This lets you respond adaptively rather than being overwhelmed. This is achieved through conscious strategies, like rethinking a situation, or unconscious ones, like automatic calming. It’s crucial for functioning. It involves processes to modulate arousal. It’s a skill learned over time. This impacts mental health and relationships.

Resources

• Introduction Sheet (PDF) (PITT ACE REACT)
• Responding to Meltdowns and Shutdowns (PDF) (PITT ACE REACT)
• Ways to Prevent Emotional Dysregulation (PDF) (PITT ACE REAACT)
• ProTips: Overload (PITT ACE REAACT)
• Calming Strategies to Support an Autistic Person (Autism Awareness Center)
• Emotional Regulation in ASD (Autism Research Institute)
• The Zones of Regulation
• The Incredible 5-Point Scale
• Your Self-Care Toolkit (Google Sheet)
• Autistic Burnout (Autism Society of Minnesota)
• The 5-Point Scale and Emotional Regulation
• Co-regulation
• Learn More About The Zones of Regulation
• Big Emotions Training for Individuals (PCHC)
• Boiling Point: Cooling Down without Blowing Up Training for Individuals (PCHC)
• 5 Simple Activities to Develop the Emotional Intelligence Skills of Learners with Disabilities (avaz)
• Emotions: How To Express What You Feel (Cleveland Clinic)
• Social Narrative Template (create your own): How to Deal with Difficult Emotions

Created 2026