In our journey through skills to regulate emotions, ABC PLEASE can be an incredibly helpful acronym. Remembering to do these things and prioritizing caring for yourself in these ways can help reduce the ups and downs of emotions felt throughout the day. Of course, some ‘ups and downs’ are normal and healthy. However, when you find yourself experiencing extreme emotions on a regular basis, to the point where it impacts how you function at work, with your family/friends, or at home, it may be helpful to work towards regulating them.
Let’s take a look at what ABC PLEASE stands for:
A: Accumulate Positive Emotions:
In the short term, this could look like doing pleasant things that are possible right now (taking a shower, listening to your favorite song, eating a piece of candy). Long term, this looks like building a “life worth living” and structuring your life so that pleasant things can happen regularly.
B: Build mastery:
To reduce feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, engage in activities that make you feel confident and competent. This could look like doing a crossword puzzle, making a meal, or singing–whatever makes you feel that confident feeling!
C: Cope Ahead:
If you recognize that you typically experience intense emotions at a certain time of day or in certain situations, create a plan for yourself to cope effectively with the anticipated emotion. Attempt to reduce triggers and create a plan for managing any triggers you may not be able to avoid.
P / L: Treat PhysicaL Illness, and take medications as prescribed:
When our bodies aren’t functioning optimally, our minds likely aren’t functioning optimally either, and this can make it more difficult to cope with strong emotions. Regularly attending doctor’s appointments, getting routine physicals, taking care of hygiene (orally and with your body as a whole), and taking medications as they are prescribed by your doctor are all helpful in caring for yourself physically.
E: balanced Eating efforts:
We truly are what we eat! There is evidence supporting that having a healthy diet contributes to mental health. Making sure that you are following recommendations from your doctor regarding eating habits and getting appropriate nutrients can help make it easier to regulate your emotions.
A: Avoid mood-Altering substances:
When we utilize mood-altering substances, our brain chemistry changes. This makes it more difficult to think clearly and regulate emotions. This category applies to recreational substances, not if your doctor has prescribed you medication to help with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or other mental/emotional concerns.
S: maintain adequate Sleep:
Our bodies and our brains reset when we sleep, which helps with memory consolidation and many other important functions. Partial sleep deprivation is defined as getting less than 6 hours total sleep for 5 consecutive days. Take an inventory of your sleep routine–are you getting enough? Are you getting consecutive hours? What can change to help you get more sleep? As a parent, this may be a challenging exercise, yet an extremely important one.
E: Exercise:
Regular movement in our bodies helps us feel better physically and releases important chemicals in our brain that can impact mood. Even light stretching can lead to benefits. Your doctor can recommend a routine that works best for you, whether you are pregnant, postpartum, or neither.
While these tips may seem self-explanatory to some, it can sometimes be difficult to find a way to implement them into your life. Recruiting help from family, friends, or medical professionals can help hold you accountable and create healthy habits that will last.
If you have any questions or would like to take a look at what this would look like in your own life individually, please feel free to reach out to us! We would be happy to talk with you and explore how you can create a life worth living for yourself.