Emotional Regulation – Learning to Stay With What Feels Like Too Much

Not About Controlling Feelings—But Understanding Them

Emotional regulation is often misunderstood. It’s not about pushing down feelings, or getting rid of them, or learning how to stay calm at all costs. It’s about developing the capacity to be with your emotions without being overwhelmed by them. To ride the wave, not drown in it. To understand what your feelings are trying to tell you—without letting them take over.

Many people I work with have been told they’re “too sensitive,” “too reactive,” or that they need to get their emotions under control. Others have learned to keep it all in—numb, detached, high-functioning on the outside but struggling inside. Emotional dysregulation isn’t a personal flaw. It’s a nervous system doing its best to protect you in the ways it learned.

How Emotional Patterns Are Formed

From the beginning, we learn how to feel (or not feel) in the presence of others. If big feelings were met with soothing, we learn to trust them. If they were met with fear, punishment, or dismissal, we often learn to fear them, suppress them, or act them out.

In therapy, we gently uncover the story behind your emotional patterns. Maybe you find yourself angry, and then ashamed of being angry. Maybe sadness never feels safe, or anxiety shows up in your body before your thoughts can name what’s wrong. Together, we explore what those patterns are trying to protect—and what might be possible when they’re met with curiosity instead of judgment.

From Flooding to Flow

When emotions are intense, it’s easy to feel hijacked. You may go from calm to reactive in seconds. Or you might find yourself stuck in emotional shutdown, unable to connect or express anything at all.

Our work helps build your window of tolerance—the range of emotion you can experience without feeling overwhelmed. We do this by tuning into your nervous system, noticing early signals of stress or escalation, and slowly creating space for regulation, choice, and breath.

This isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about becoming more resourced, more attuned, and more emotionally fluent over time.

The Power of Relationship

You don’t have to do this alone. Emotional regulation is not just an internal skill—it’s something we learn in relationship. When your feelings are witnessed, named, and held in the presence of another person, they begin to feel less threatening. You begin to feel less alone.

In our sessions, the way we relate becomes the therapy. You get to bring your anger, your sadness, your fear—and have them welcomed. Not analysed. Not shamed. Just met.

You Are Not Too Much

If you’ve ever been told—or told yourself—that you’re too much, too sensitive, or not emotionally mature enough, I want you to know: your emotional world is not a problem. It’s a source of intelligence, depth, and connection.

Therapy doesn’t make you less emotional. It helps you feel more steady, more clear, and more able to respond rather than react.

If you’re ready to build that capacity—gently, honestly, and at your own pace—I’m here.