Body Budget

Most of the time, when people struggle controlling their emotions they think there must be some coping skill they need to learn or some deep wound they need to address. Despite the way the culture talks about emotions, it isn't always that complicated. There's 3 areas that have the biggest impact on your ability to regulate your emotions. Sleep, exercise, and nutrition. 

According to the research, anywhere outside of 6-9 hours of sleep impacts overall mortality rate. Some of the simplest changes are don't eat or drink anything too close to bed, stay off of screens an hour before bed, and consider the lighting you use in your home. 

When it comes to exercise, there are a tremendous amount of things that make people feel defensive and stops them from even considering starting. So think of it this way, if you are not doing anything at all right now, start moving. If you're more able than that, find a way to challenge yourself. Your goal doesn't need to be to get jacked and lose 20 pounds. Just start with moving more than you are. 

Nutrition can be another one that feels really complicated because of the variety of information online variance even between professionals. Something you consistently see whether its keto, carnivore, or even plant-based diets its cutting out processed food and eating more whole foods. Try starting with getting more fruits and vegetables in your diet. By this simple change, you chew a lot more and this has a psychological impact of helping you feel more full because of the amount of chewing you have to do. 

Sometimes this can be as simple as someone realizing they need to do something hard. Every now and then, there's some things that could be sorted out in therapy to help with this. Consider where you are as you create your plan of action.