#emotional-regulation — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #emotional-regulation, aggregated by home.social.
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DATE: May 11, 2026 at 06:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: The four ways exercise helps you handle aversive experiences
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-physical-exercise-rewires-the-brain-to-process-negative-emotions/
A new framework suggests that physical activity acts as an external tool to help the brain harmonize how it processes negative experiences and aversive information. The study outlines how both a single workout and a long-term exercise habit can shape specific cognitive pathways to support better emotional regulation. The research was published in Mental Health and Physical Activity.
When people encounter upsetting information, their brains initiate a series of cognitive processes. This emotional generation sequence typically involves four distinct stages: situation, attention, evaluation, and response. The initial situation provides the input, and the brain’s attention systems determine which elements to prioritize.
Following this perception, a goal-directed evaluation interprets the scenario. The body then forms a psychological and physiological response based on that assessment. Because these responses feed back into the system, an unchecked negative reaction can create a loop that intensifies future distress.
Emotion regulation is the act of managing these responses to achieve a stable mental balance. This regulation can happen at various points in the emotional sequence. It might occur explicitly, where a person uses conscious effort to distract themselves or reframe a situation.
Regulation can also occur implicitly, driven by deeply ingrained habits and unconscious mental beliefs about how to cope with stress. Finally, regulation can be automatic. A primary example is mindfulness, which involves observing emotional states with gentle awareness rather than trying to suppress them.
Researchers Haiting Zhu and Yifan Zhang wanted to understand exactly how physical activity influences these different regulatory systems. While past evidence highlighted that physical movement improves overall mood, the exact psychological mechanisms linking movement to aversive information processing remained scattered across different scientific disciplines.
Zhu and Zhang reviewed existing behavioral and neurological research to build a unified theoretical model. They synthesized findings from cognitive psychology, affective science, and exercise physiology to detail how the brain manages negative stimuli. Their framework divides the benefits of physical activity into two distinct categories: acute exercise and habitual exercise.
An acute bout of exercise refers to a single, structured session of physical activity. According to the researchers, this single session functions as an immediate external activator. It alters emotion by simultaneously engaging four essential cognitive pathways: attention, executive function, memory, and reward motivation.
The first impacted pathway is attention. During a moderate-intensity workout, the brain redirects focus away from internal worries and physical symptoms of distress. It shifts cognitive resources toward external sensory input and the mechanics of movement.
Studies utilizing visual attention tests demonstrate that moving the body biases attention toward pleasant stimuli while turning focus away from unpleasant images. This immediate reorientation prevents the mind from becoming trapped in early stages of distress.
The second pathway involves executive function, which encompasses higher-level mental skills like flexible thinking and self-control. A single session of physical activity increases activation in areas of the frontal region of the brain associated with updating information and inhibiting impulses.
With these neural resources energized, a person becomes substantially better at cognitive reappraisal. This means they are more capable of evaluating a stressful event from a new, constructive perspective. Behavioral tests measuring conflict resolution and impulse control show that physical exertion improves a person’s ability to quickly resolve emotional clashes.
The third mechanism is memory modification. Emotional regulation frequently requires the suppression of unwanted memories to prevent repetitive, anxious thinking. When people cannot disengage from bad memories, they fall into rumination, a state heavily associated with clinical depression.
The study proposes that physical activity enhances a person’s capacity for memory control. Highly demanding physical activities, especially those requiring complex motor skills and visual tracking, compete for the same mental resources the brain uses to process memories.
When a memory is recalled, it briefly becomes unstable and must be re-encoded by the brain. Engaging in a challenging physical task during this window can disrupt this restabilization process. This disruption ultimately reduces how intensely that negative memory can be felt in the future.
The fourth and final acute pathway involves reward-based motivation. Moderate aerobic conditioning triggers the release of specific neurochemicals like dopamine in the brain’s mesolimbic circuitry. This area is heavily involved in how humans process pleasure and anticipation.
Activating this reward system creates immediate feelings of accomplishment and positive reinforcement. The motivational energy provided by these chemicals sustains the ongoing effort required for emotional regulation. It shifts the brain’s overall state from defensive avoidance to goal-directed engagement.
Habitual exercise, meaning structured physical activity maintained over an extended period, operates differently. While single workouts provide temporary relief, habitual exercise builds upon the accumulated psychological rewards of those individual sessions.
The researchers view habitual exercise as an upward-spiraling cycle. As people repeatedly experience the satisfying feedback of a workout, their brains internalize these adaptive coping mechanisms. This prolonged engagement transforms short-lived chemical boosts into stable personality traits.
In this continuous cycle, improved executive function and memory control become automatic baselines. People with active routines develop stronger chronic capacities for cognitive reappraisal. Their automatic responses to stress become less defensive and more flexible over time.
Long-term routines that specifically incorporate mind and body awareness, such as yoga or Tai Chi, offer unique benefits. These practices cultivate an internal focus on physical sensations, training the brain to sustain present-focused attention even under emotionally charged conditions.
Habitual engagement is particularly effective at treating emotion regulation deficits. By repeatedly disrupting negative thought patterns and reinforcing positive action, regular motion lowers the everyday accessibility of anxious worry. This explains why an active lifestyle acts as a strong protective buffer against mood disorders.
There are constraints to this proposed model that require consideration. The researchers note that the psychological benefits of movement are not completely uniform across all populations.
Variables such as a person’s age, baseline physical fitness, and preexisting mental health status can alter how their brain reacts. For instance, an intense workout that feels highly rewarding to a trained athlete might produce a completely different stress response in an untrained individual.
Additionally, some neurological evidence shows that while aerobic exertion increases brain wave responses to positive images in healthy adults, it might not produce the exact same electrical brain activity in individuals with depression. These differences highlight the need for tailored interventions.
Much of the current evidence relies on measuring data at a single point in time or focusing exclusively on an isolated workout. These methodological limitations restrict how well scientists can track the exact timeline of emotional improvement.
Moving forward, the researchers emphasize the need for mechanism-based experiments. By tracking cognitive skills and clinical outcomes over extended periods, future studies could isolate exactly how short-term dopamine bursts develop into lifelong emotional stability.
The study, “The moving brain: A cross-pathways framework linking exercise to the modulation of aversive information processing,” was authored by Haiting Zhu and Yifan Zhang.
URL: https://www.psypost.org/how-physical-exercise-rewires-the-brain-to-process-negative-emotions/
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #exerciseandemotion #emotionalregulation #mentalhealthandphysicalactivity #acuteworkoutbenefits #habitualexercise #cognitivecontrol #memorymodulation #rewardmotivation #mindfulmovement #emotionalsuccessthroughfitness
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DATE: May 10, 2026 at 04:00PM
SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
-------------------------------------------------TITLE: Brooding identified as a major driver of bedtime procrastination, alongside physical markers of stress
People who stay up later than intended may have a weaker physiological capacity for self-control. A new study published in the Journal of Health Psychology links lower heart rate variability to greater bedtime procrastination.
Many individuals experience the temptation to prolong their use of digital devices, or complete further tasks, despite being aware that they should already be asleep—a behavior known as bedtime procrastination. Scientists have previously connected bedtime procrastination to difficulties with managing behavior and emotions. Individuals who struggle to prioritize long-term wellbeing over short-term enjoyment, or who have trouble regulating negative feelings, are thought to be more prone to pushing their bedtime later.
What has been less well understood is whether this tendency also has a measurable biological marker. A promising candidate is heart rate variability (HRV), defined as the natural variation in the time between heartbeats. Previous research has demonstrated that a higher level of this variability—particularly the component driven by the body’s calming “rest and digest” nervous system (the vagus nerve)—is associated with adaptability to stress and a greater capacity for self-control.
Hence, the researchers in the present study sought to examine whether this physiological marker, alongside self-reported difficulties with managing behavior and emotions, could predict how much someone tends to procrastinate at bedtime.
Lena Mareen Grabo and Silja Bellingrath of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany recruited 135 adults aged between 18 and 82 (with an average age of around 29; approximately 65% female). Participants first sat quietly for ten minutes while their heart rate was continuously measured using an accurate chest strap device. From this recording, the researchers calculated each person’s baseline level of heart rate variability.
Participants also filled out questionnaires reporting on how often they procrastinate at bedtime, how well they manage their own behavior and emotions, and how often they engage in specific thinking styles. These thinking styles included a tendency to “brood” (getting stuck in passive, repetitive, negative thought loops) versus “reflect” (purposefully thinking through problems to solve them).
The results pointed to a clear picture in which bedtime procrastination reflects challenges across multiple different aspects of self-control simultaneously. Individuals scoring higher on bedtime procrastination tended to have lower heart rate variability, greater difficulty regulating their behavior, and greater difficulty managing their emotions. Importantly, each of these three factors contributed independently to the prediction of bedtime procrastination.
When analyzing the specific ways people deal with emotions, a nuanced picture emerged. While using “cognitive reappraisal” (a deliberate strategy of reframing stressful situations in a more positive light) initially appeared to reduce bedtime procrastination, it lost its predictive power when other emotional habits were factored in. Ultimately, only “brooding” significantly predicted procrastinating at bedtime in the final model. Conversely, engaging in more reflective, problem-focused thinking did not show any link to delaying sleep.
The study also found that bedtime procrastination was moderately associated with both shorter sleep duration and worse sleep quality, reinforcing just how consequential this habit can be for nightly rest.
Interestingly, the study found no significant connection between a person’s biological heart rate variability and their self-reported measures of behavioral and emotional regulation. This suggests the different components of the self-control system operate somewhat independently, even though they all contribute to the same behavioral outcome.
“Taken together, the findings highlight bedtime procrastination as a problem of diminished self-regulatory capacity reflected in both physiological (lower heart rate variability) and psychological (poorer behavioral and emotion regulation) domains, yet they also suggest that self-regulation is not a unitary construct,” Grabo and Bellingrath concluded.
Some limitations should be noted. For example, the study was conducted at one point in time, and the researchers caution that it cannot reveal strict causality. It is possible that low self-control causes bedtime procrastination, which causes poor sleep, which in turn further depletes self-control the next day in a bidirectional loop.
The study, “Bedtime procrastination as a typical problem of self-regulation? Insights from the examination of heart rate variability, behavioral regulation and emotion regulation,” was authored by Lena Mareen Grabo and Silja Bellingrath.
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#psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #BedtimeProcrastination #HRV #HeartRateVariability #SelfRegulation #SleepQuality #SleepDuration #BroodingMood #EmotionalRegulation #CognitiveReappraisal #BehavioralRegulation
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After school emotional dysregulation: fine at school, meltdown at home.
#schoolanxiety #schoolattendancechallenges #schoolavoidance #schoolabsenteeism #educationsupportteam #schoolwidestrategy #youreducationmatters #SchoolAttendance #ymhc #emotionalregulation
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Ich dachte bei dieser KI-generierten Karikatur an Menschen, die sich selbst über alles stellen, andere nicht zu Wort kommen lassen und gleichzeitig Respekt einfordern. Für Menschen mit ADHS können solche Situationen extrem frustrierend sein, da sie Schwierigkeiten haben können, ihre Emotionen zu regulieren und Impulse zu kontrollieren.
In mir löst das oft Wut aus. Ich muss mich dann beherrschen, um nicht überzureagieren.
#ADHS #EmotionalRegulation #Empowerment #PersönlicheEntwicklung
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#stressmanagement #emotionalhealth #mentalhealth #wellbeing #healthylifestyle #stressrelief #emotionalregulation #mindbodyspirit #NeuroScience #NeuroDivergent #NeuroCiencia #Neuro #Neurology #NeuroSurgery #NeuroPlasticity #NeuroCirurgia #selfcare https://mastodon.social/@biohackingpathway/116309820301674326
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Writing Prompts for Grief: 25 Soul-Stirring Questions to Process Deep Emotional Pain
Read more: https://innermasteryhub.com/writing-prompts-for-grief/
#griefprompts #emotionalhealing #journalingforgrief #emotionalregulation #mentalhealth
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Micro‑Adjustments The Art of Responding Without Overreacting
Micro adjustments are small, intentional shifts that help you respond without slipping into overreaction. By noticing quiet signals early and choosing proportionate actions, you preserve energy, build steadiness, and create meaningful change through tiny, sustainable moves. Small hinges really do swing big doors. -
You cannot punish a student to have better self-regulation of their emotions. You can support them to manage their big feelings.
#studentmentalhealth #studentwellbeing #schoolmentalhealth #teachers #educators #emotionalregulation #copingskills #feelings #ymhc
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Transform Your Writing: Simple Techniques for Emotional Regulation
The author reflects on journaling's emotional regulation, sharing past failures and successes, promoting unedited writing for release, and emphasizing gratitude and letting go through letters.https://sketchualhealing.com/2026/03/19/journaling-emotional-regulation/
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Ok, so I just learned from @huberman why I procrastinate, have a hard time focusing, and love coffee… ☕️
Spoiler alert: it’s all about dopamine!
I mean, they diagnosed me with ADHD when I was like 13. But this Huberman Lab podcast explains the neuroscience behind all this.
And it gives some practical tips and advice for how to train attention with movement, guided attention protocols (meditation?), and even omega 3 supplements (who knew?!). 🤷🏽♀️
Here’s the episode: https://d3e.co/y2
Enjoy, dear one! Sending you love 🙏🏼
#ADHD #attention #SelfCare #focus #performance #EmotionalRegulation
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Tip of the day: Use coping tools before and after school.
#copingskills #copingstrategies #emotionalregulation #studentmentalhealth #studentwellbeing #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #stress #proactive #wellness #ymhc
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something to remember when your #novel gets overwhelming! 🤣
How #writing rewires your brain to face everyday challenges https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/how-writing-rewires-your-brain-face-everyday-challenges
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#MindfulnessandTech #emotionalregulation #MindfulMagazineDec13 W.A.I.T. a Minute: A Practice to Pause Before You Post on Social Media: A simple mindful practice that can slow down emotional reaction, invite a breath, and encourage you to pause before you post.
The post W.A.I.T. a Minute: A Practice to Pause Before You Post on Social Media appeared first on Mindful. http://dlvr.it/TR3Yy7
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#12MinuteMeditation #calm #emotionalregulation A Meditation to Return to Ourselves When Practicing Feels Impossible: If you’re burned out, discouraged, and disconnected by all the struggle and suffering in the world, you’re not alone. In times of intense upheaval, mindfulness practice can feel impossible. Try this simple, grounding meditation to pause, reconnect with compassion and clarity, and return to yourself.
The post A Meditation to Return to Ourselves When… http://dlvr.it/TR2Nn4
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How embracing the 'Empty Boat Theory' can help you keep anger and anxiety in check
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/empty-boat-theory-explained-ex1
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Overwhelmed before you even begin? Viral ‘anti-start’ trick might change everything.
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4 Ways Childhood Trauma Physically Changes a Man’s Brain
Originally Published on January 13th, 2026 at 10:23 amIntroduction: More Than a Memory
It is widely understood that childhood trauma, particularly childhood sexual abuse (CSA), leaves deep and lasting psychological scars.
The experience can shape a person’s emotional landscape for a lifetime. It can lead to challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. For many, the impact feels profound, but the injury itself can seem invisible.
But what if the damage wasn’t just psychological? What if the trauma left a physical, measurable imprint on the very structure of the brain? A new brain imaging study provides compelling evidence that this is exactly what happens.
The research focuses specifically on the long-term neurophysiological effects of CSA in men. We know this is a topic that remains heavily stigmatized and under-researched. Despite its prevalence, with approximately 1 in 25 men in Canada experiencing sexual abuse before age 15 (Heidinger, 2022), the physical toll it takes has been poorly understood until now.
This study begins to change that.
1. Childhood Trauma Physically Alters the Brain’s “Communication Highways”
The researchers used a specialized MRI technique called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). DTI looks deep inside the brain’s white matter.
You can think of white matter as the brain’s internal communication wiring or its information superhighways. White matter consists of bundles of nerve fibers that connect different brain regions and allow them to work together seamlessly.
The study measured a key property of this wiring called “fractional anisotropy” (FA). In simple terms, FA is a measure of the integrity and efficiency of these communication pathways.
Higher FA values indicate well-organized, healthy wiring. While lower values suggest the wiring may be less organized, frayed, or poorly insulated, leading to disrupted signaling.
The study’s core finding was unequivocal: the group of men with a history of CSA had significantly lower FA values in multiple key brain regions compared to the control group. This provides clear physical proof that the trauma fundamentally rewired the brain’s architecture.
2. The Damage Targets Critical Hubs for Emotion, Memory, and Executive Function
The study revealed that the structural changes were not random. They were concentrated in white matter tracts that are critical for regulating the very functions that many survivors struggle with.
The specific regions affected include:
- The Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF): This massive tract showed the largest effect. A finding with a statistical effect size (Cohen’s d = 1.902) so large it indicates a profound difference between the groups. The damage was most pronounced in a segment called SLF II. This connects key hubs for attention and memory to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a critical command center for executive function. This provides a direct neurobiological link explaining why a survivor might struggle with daily tasks like concentrating at work or managing complex projects.
- The Cingulum: As a key part of the brain’s limbic system, the cingulum is a hub for processing emotion, behavior, and memory. Damage here has been previously linked to PTSD and depression. This offers a biological reason for the persistent feelings of anxiety or the intrusive memories that can define a survivor’s experience.
- The Anterior Thalamic Radiation and Forceps Minor: These tracts are essential wiring for the frontal lobe, supporting executive functions like planning complex behaviors and impulse control. Compromised integrity in these pathways can help explain difficulties with emotional regulation and decision-making that survivors often report.
In short, the brain scans reveal a physical roadmap of the injury, showing that the damage isn’t random. It targets the very systems that survivors rely on to regulate emotion, process memory, and maintain focus.
Are you exploring your trauma? Do you feel your childhood experiences were detrimental to your current mental or physical health? Utilize this free, validated, self-report questionnaire to find out.
Take the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire
3. Structural Damage from Childhood Trauma Helps Explain Real-World Cognitive Emotional Challenges
One of the most powerful aspects of this research is how it connects the brain’s physical structure to its real-time function.
Some of the same men who participated in this DTI study also took part in another study that used a functional MRI (fMRI) to see how their brains worked during a challenging mental task (Chiasson et al., 2021).
That fMRI study found that when performing an emotional working memory task, the men with CSA histories showed altered brain activation patterns.
Instead of relying on their dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), the brain’s executive control center, they showed increased activation in limbic areas, the brain’s emotional hub.
This new DTI study provides a compelling physical explanation for why. The structural damage to the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF II), the “highway” that leads directly to the dlPFC, helps explain why that executive control center was less active. The damaged road was unable to carry the traffic. It forced the brain to create functional “detours” through more emotional pathways. It directly links the physical brain changes to the functional difficulties survivors experience.
4. This Evidence is a Powerful Tool Against Stigma Around Male Childhood Trauma
For male survivors of CSA, stigma and shame often create immense barriers to seeking help. This research offers a powerful tool to fight that stigma.
Having objective, empirical evidence that trauma causes a tangible, neurophysiological injury helps reframe the survivor’s experience.
It is not “just in their head” or a sign of weakness; it is a physical injury that requires understanding and clinical support.
The study’s authors highlight this crucial implication in their conclusion:
“Raising awareness of the impact of CSA is crucial—not only to help destigmatize the topic and encourage more men to seek help, but also to equip clinicians with a better understanding of CSA’s neuro-physiological effects, ultimately contributing to more effective interventions and improved treatment outcomes.”
By demonstrating the physical reality of traumatic injury, this research helps move the conversation around male CSA away from silence and stigma and toward one of scientific understanding, compassion, and informed care.
Conclusion: A Deeper Understanding of Healing
This study offers a stark and clear message: childhood trauma is a profound event that can physically reshape the brain’s architecture.
For men who have survived childhood sexual abuse, this research provides concrete, scientific validation of their experience. It shows that the challenges they face are rooted in tangible changes to the brain’s white matter.
The findings underscore that healing from trauma is not merely a psychological exercise but a process that involves a brain that has been physically altered.
As we continue to uncover the deep nature of traumatic injury, it prompts a vital question for us all:
How might this change our approach to healing, compassion, and justice for survivors?
Does this ring true for you or someone you love? Share how this article shined a light on behaviors you hadn’t previously understood in the comments below.
Are you a professional looking to stay up-to-date with the latest information on, sex addiction, trauma, and mental health news and research? Or maybe you’re looking for continuing education courses? Then you should stay up-to-date with all of Dr. Jen’s work through her practice’s newsletter!
Do you feel your sexual behavior, or that of someone you love, is out of control? Then you should consult with a professional.
Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with Sexual Addiction Treatment Services.
#ACEs #adverseChildhoodExperiences #anxiety #brainImaging #childhoodSexualAbuse #childhoodTrauma #complexTrauma #CSA #depression #diffusionTensorImaging #DTI #emotionalRegulation #executiveFunction #healingAndRecovery #maleSurvivors #menSMentalHealth #mentalHealthEducation #neurobiologyOfTrauma #neuroscience #PTSD #stigma #traumaAndTheBrain #traumaInformedCare #whiteMatter -
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman shares 'really weird' trick to fall asleep in five minutes
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Therapists explain the 'Window of Tolerance' concept and give reliable tips on how to widen it
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/experts-explain-window-of-tolerance
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Neuroscience coach shares 5 things to tell yourself every day to reach your full potential
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/neuroscience-brain-hacks
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Is Food Addiction Real? Just in Time for Thanksgiving!
Originally Published on November 25th, 2025 at 08:00 amFood Addiction: The “Addiction” We All Talk About
Many of us have joked about being “addicted” to ice cream or chips, describing an intense craving that feels impossible to resist. This common experience is at the heart of a serious scientific debate: Is Food Addiction (FA) a genuine addiction, similar to substance addiction?
The conversation has grown more complex as modern definitions of addiction have expanded.
Influential bodies like the American Society of Addiction Medicine no longer require the ingestion of a psychoactive substance for something to be considered an addiction. Similarly, behavioral addictions like gambling disorder are now formally recognized. This has intensified the scientific inquiry into whether addictive-like eating fits the same mold.
To find answers, a recent longitudinal study looked at the role of emotion regulation, how we handle our feelings, to compare food addiction and substance misuse.
The findings were surprising, revealing critical differences in the emotional pathways that drive these behaviors. This article breaks down the three most impactful takeaways that challenge what we think we know about food addiction.
1. The Counter-Intuitive Role of Positive Emotions in Food Addiction
Takeaway 1: Acting on a Good Mood Predicts Substance Misuse, But Deters Food Addiction.
One of the study’s most unexpected findings relates to “positive urgency.” It’s described as a psychological trait. One defined as the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing strong positive emotions, like feeling overjoyed or extremely happy.
The research, which tracked women over six months, found a striking divergence.
A one-unit increase in a person’s positive urgency score was associated with:
- A 100% to 200% increase in the odds of future alcohol or drug-related problems.
- A 50% decrease in the odds of future food addiction.
Why would feeling good lead to such different outcomes?
The researchers suggest it comes down to the reinforcing power of the substance or behavior.
Individuals high in positive urgency may seek to amplify or extend their good feelings, and psychoactive substances are far more effective at this than food.
The study’s authors explain: Women with greater positive urgency may tend to select psychoactive substances such as alcohol or drugs that can more effectively amplify or prolong their positive feelings, rather than food. Food’s effects are less potent and thus less reinforcing than psychoactive substances.
This discovery is significant because it highlights a fundamental difference in the emotional triggers for food addiction versus substance misuse.
While a good mood might increase the risk for substance misuse, it appears to have the opposite effect on addictive-like eating.
Licensed Professional Counselors, do you need continuing education hours?
Look no further!
If you find this article interesting, Dr. Weeks’ course Sexual Education and Porn Use in Women, and her other unique courses, will engage and educate!
2. How We Judge Our Feelings Matter… But Differently
Takeaway 2: Not Accepting Your Negative Emotions Has Opposite Effects on Food Addiction vs. Alcohol-Related Problems
Another key aspect of emotion regulation is the “non-acceptance of one’s negative emotions.”
This is the tendency to have self-critical or judgmental reactions like shame, guilt, or frustration to your own distressing feelings.
Here again, the study found that this trait was linked to food addiction and alcohol-related problems in opposite ways:
- Non-acceptance was associated with more severe food addiction symptoms.
- Non-acceptance was associated with less severe alcohol-related problems.
The researchers hypothesize that this difference may be rooted in social stigma.
Women who feel ashamed of their negative emotions might turn to food as a coping mechanism because overeating is often viewed as less stigmatized than alcohol misuse.
The study references other research showing that the label “food addict” is perceived as less shameful than “substance or alcohol addiction.” This suggests that societal norms and the fear of judgment can profoundly shape which coping behaviors we adopt.
3. The Complicated Truth About Negative Moods and Food Addiction
Takeaway 3: The Link Between Bad Moods and Bingeing Isn’t a Simple One
The idea that we eat to soothe bad feelings, often called “emotional eating,” is a popular one. This is related to the concept of “negative urgency,” or the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing strong negative emotions.
At first glance, the study’s data seemed to support this common belief.
When looking at a single point in time, the researchers found that negative urgency was a common link between both food addiction and substance misuse.
However, when they analyzed the data over time in a more sophisticated multivariate model, the picture changed dramatically.
After controlling for other emotion-regulation factors, negative urgency was not a significant predictor of future food addiction or substance misuse problems.
This doesn’t mean bad moods are irrelevant.
Rather, it suggests that negative urgency might be a “fellow traveler.” It’s present alongside the true driver, but not in the driver’s seat itself.
When the researchers statistically controlled for the powerful effect of positive urgency, the predictive signal from negative urgency faded away. This finding challenges the simple narrative that “feeling bad leads to addiction” and reveals that, over the long term, other emotional factors are far more influential.
Conclusion: A Different Kind of Struggle
While food addiction and substance addiction share surface-level similarities like cravings and loss of control, this new research paints a picture of two surprisingly different psychological profiles.
One is characterized by impulsivity in good times, which predicts substance misuse, while the other is marked by self-judgment in bad times, which predicts addictive-like eating.
This challenges the one-size-fits-all model of addiction.
The study’s overall conclusion is clear: “These findings suggest that FA [Food Addiction] is not associated with the same key deficits in emotion regulation as SA [Substance Addiction].”
This leaves us with a critical question to consider:
If the emotional drivers for food addiction and substance addiction are so different, does this mean we need to rethink how we talk about, prevent, and treat addictive-like eating?
Are you exploring your trauma? Do you feel your childhood experiences were detrimental to your current mental or physical health? Utilize this free, validated, self-report questionnaire to find out.
Take the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire
Are you a professional looking to stay up-to-date with the latest information on, sex addiction, trauma, and mental health news and research? Or maybe you’re looking for continuing education courses?
Stay up-to-date with all of Dr. Jen’s work through her practice’s newsletter!
Have you found yourself in legal trouble due to your sexual behavior? Seek assistance before the court mandates it, with Sexual Addiction Treatment Services.
Are you looking for more reputable, data-backed information on sexual addiction? The Mitigation Aide Research Archive is an excellent source for executive summaries of research studies.
#addictionResearch #bingeEating #copingAndEmotions #eatingDisorders #emotionalEating #emotionalRegulation #evidenceBasedPractice #foodAddiction #negativeUrgency #positiveUrgency #shame #stigmaAndShame #substanceMisuse #traumaAndAddiction #treatmentImplications #womensMentalHealth
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Really wonderful presentation by Barry Prizant to the Young Scholars Academy on the importance of trust when working with neurodivergent students, and ways to foster trust.
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kix3T5DXmzs
#EmotionalRegulation
#Neurodivergent
#Neurodiversity
#Parenting
#Autism -
'Boomer panic' is a real phenomenon, and there's a heartbreaking reason for it
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/boomer-panic-explanation-ex1
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Becoming unbothered: The underrated skill that changes how you live, love, and lead
There was a time I thought “not reacting” made me look weak.
If someone snapped, I snapped back. If a colleague questioned me, I over-explained. If my child rolled her eyes, I raised my voice higher. I called it “standing my ground.” What it really was, was exhaustion dressed as strength.It took years to understand that being unbothered isn’t about ignoring people or becoming detached. It’s about emotional clarity, knowing what actually deserves your energy and what simply doesn’t.
I remember one day at work, during an intense review meeting, a senior leader interrupted me mid-sentence. He restated the exact point I was making, louder, and the room nodded. A few years ago, I would’ve jumped in to reclaim credit or prove I knew what I was talking about. That day, I didn’t. I simply paused, let the moment pass, and when the discussion turned to execution, everyone looked at me for the plan. Because deep down, everyone knows who actually does the work. That was the moment I understood: quiet doesn’t mean passive. It means certain.
At home, it played out differently. When my daughter was younger, I’d rush to correct every little thing, her tone, her habits, her homework. I thought good parenting meant constant involvement. It took me a while to see that what children crave most is not control, but calm energy. When I stopped reacting to every small defiance, she started sharing more. She didn’t need a perfect parent; she needed a steady one.
And in relationships, I noticed something similar. Every time I argued to prove a point, I lost something bigger, my presence. The ability to sit with discomfort, to let silence do the work, is what keeps most bonds alive. Being unbothered doesn’t mean not caring. It means caring from a place of strength, not insecurity.
The realization
Emotional maturity is less about what you feel and more about what you choose to respond to.
Most of us have been conditioned to equate quick reactions with confidence, but real confidence often looks like restraint. It’s the quiet “I know who I am” energy that doesn’t need external validation.Being unbothered is not about indifference. It’s about discernment. You don’t need to attend every argument you’re invited to, fix every person’s perception, or prove your worth in every room.
The core message
This mindset shift touches every part of life:
- In relationships, it stops you from reacting out of fear and helps you listen from understanding.
- In parenting, it teaches your child emotional regulation by example.
- In professional life, it saves your energy for progress, not politics.
Unbothered people still care deeply, but they choose where to invest that care.
What it may look like to others
When you start becoming unbothered, people will notice, and not always in kind ways.
Some will call you distant. Others will say you’ve changed. A few might even accuse you of not caring.That’s because calm looks unfamiliar to people who thrive on chaos. When you stop reacting, you stop feeding certain dynamics, the gossip, the drama, the emotional tug-of-war. To them, it feels like you’ve pulled away. In reality, you’re just reclaiming your peace.
In relationships, it may look like you’ve stopped chasing.
At work, it may look like you’re less “involved.”
At home, it may look like you’re letting small things slide.But here’s the truth, you haven’t withdrawn; you’ve refocused. You’re no longer scattering your energy in ten directions trying to fix everything and everyone. You’re saving it for what actually moves life forward.
What it actually looks like
- You stop over-explaining: Not every misunderstanding deserves clarification. Sometimes people see only what they’re ready to see. You let your actions be the evidence and move on.
- You respond, not react: When something provokes you, you pause. You breathe. You choose if it’s even worth responding. That pause is where wisdom lives.
- You don’t chase closure: Some situations will remain unresolved. Not every story gets a satisfying ending. You stop begging for explanations from people who’ve already shown you who they are.
- You find comfort in stillness: The world celebrates loud wins, promotions, announcements, breakthroughs. But your biggest transformation happens quietly. You begin to feel safe in your own company.
The deeper shift
At first, being unbothered feels unnatural. You’ll question yourself: Am I being cold? Am I giving up?
But soon you’ll notice how much mental space it frees up. You’ll have fewer arguments, shorter rants, and calmer days. Your priorities will reorder themselves.You’ll realize that not everything requires a reaction, not every comment deserves a comeback, and not every situation needs closure.
Peace is expensive. You protect it by being selective.The quiet close
These days, I measure my growth not by how fast I respond, but by how long I can stay calm.
When I look back, most things that once consumed me barely register now. That’s not numbness. That’s clarity.Becoming unbothered is not the end of caring, it’s the beginning of caring better.
#boundaries #calmConfidence #emotionalMaturity #emotionalRegulation #mentalStrength #mindfulness #Parenting #personalGrowth #Relationships #selfAwareness #womenAtWork
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#MindfulLivingSkills #awareness #emotionalregulation What’s Different About Mindfulness for Men?: Former Mindful editor Amber Tucker speaks with Jon Macaskill and Will Schneider from Men Talking Mindfulness to discuss how mindfulness can meet the unique challenges men are facing today, and why it’s more important than ever.
The post What’s Different About Mindfulness for Men? appeared first on Mindful. http://dlvr.it/TNw884
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🧵1of2 Trauma dumping isn't sharing. It's offloading.
Sharing looks like: "I'm struggling with something. Do you have space to talk?"
Trauma dumping looks like: Unloading your pain on someone without asking if they can hold it.
The difference matters.
When you trauma dump, you're using someone as a therapist without their consent. You're making them responsible for your #EmotionalRegulation.
That's not #friendship. That's extraction.
Why it's harmful:
Takes without asking
Ignores the other person's capacity
Creates obligation, not connection
Damages relationships over time
Leaves both people drainedYour friends aren't your therapists.
They can support you. But support requires consent, boundaries, and reciprocity.
