If you have been feeling uncertain or even a bit anxious, Dr. Marc Brackett wants you to know that you are not alone. In a live webinar with Mental Health America called “Strategies for Healthy Emotion Regulation During Uncertain Times”, Dr. Brackett provided tips and advice to help us learn to be better at self-regulation. Participants learned research-based strategies to support well-being for themselves and their kids, make healthy decisions, improve relationships and their overall functioning during these stressful times. Our founder Janine discussed in our weekly staff meeting how we’re all experiencing higher levels of stress and might not even be aware of it, so find out what the Flawless Team learned from this interactive session!
Harper, Flawless Intern
Although I may not have realized it, quarantine has been stressful for me. With my internship, two online college classes, and being cooped up at home, I didn’t realize how much stress that I have been undergoing. When I attended “Strategies for Healthy Emotion Regulation During Uncertain Times”, Dr. Brackett talked about some approaches that help with people’s well-being, ways to make healthy decisions, and ways to be more productive right now. The webinar was amazing because with all of the stress I have been undergoing recently, it was nice to take a step back and understand what I can do for myself in order to feel less stressed and healthier! Dr. Brackett gave excellent tips about exercising, eating healthy, and remembering to make time for yourself. Although life can get pretty busy, he also reminded us how important it is to take some time every day to check in with yourself. If you are feeling stressed, he says to drop what you are doing and engage in something to help you relax, whether going outside for a run or a walk, reading a good book, or meditating for a little bit. When you can do this, you begin to feel more regulated and can carry out the things on your to-do list in a more productive way. This webinar made me feel calm; it helped me remember to not get too wrapped up in my work, and to take some time for myself so that I can be more efficient in my work in addition to being the best that I can be.
Joseph, Flawless Intern
Dr. Marc Brakett’s “Strategies for Healthy Emotion Regulation During Uncertain Times” was a wonderful knowledge-filled and interactive webinar. The most important part for me was when Dr. Brackett asked us participants about their mood using the Mood Meter, how we felt using background and foreground word descriptions of our feelings, and discussing how we internalize and process stressful and unpleasant feelings. This interactive part allowed Dr. Brackett to address real-time questions and responses, which made me feel more connected to the information and allowed me to better apply what I learned to my life experiences. In another activity we practiced mindful breathing, and I was amazed to come away so calm. I did not realize that I was stressed or still in “work mode” taking notes and retaining information. However, after the mindful breathing exercise, I felt more in-the-moment and present in the webinar, instead of just watching it.
I also appreciated how Dr. Brackett quoted Maya Angelou: “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Many people, including myself sometimes, use the hand for helping others more than helping ourselves, but it is important to practice self-care, breathing, and mindfulness during stressful situations, busy times, and uncertain life circumstances. This webinar focused a lot on the importance of self-care through exercise, breaks, nutrition, sleep, mindful breathing, healthy relationships, and the permission to feel, rather than judge or ignore, your emotions. Dr. Brackett reminds us that feeling emotions and becoming an “emotion scientist” will help create work-life balance, proper health, and resiliency in stressful or uncertain situations.
Georgie, Flawless Intern
One thing that really stuck with me during the webinar is how often Dr. Marc Brackett checked in with the audience. The webinar wasn’t just him speaking at us, but instead, it was filled with questions like “How are you feeling?” or “How are you regulating your emotions?”. This is important because it gave the participants an opportunity to really think about how they are actually feeling and how stressed they might be. He led a session of mindful breathing, which I could tell really helped everyone. It even helped me to notice how tense I was, and to relax. Not to mention, his actual tips for healthy emotion regulation are very useful. Ideas such as “forgiveness”, “physiological regulation”, and “doing meaningful things you enjoy” are all great points to keep in mind as we continue to navigate this new world we live in. I think that while many of us are continuing to spend most of our time living and working from home, moments like this webinar are important in order for us to slow down and check-in with ourselves.
Tre, Flawless Fellow
What I loved about this webinar was how interactive it was. Dr. Brackett made a point to both ask participants how they were feeling but then take the time to read and reflect upon responses. Rather than just throw research at us, Dr. Brackett guided the group through his techniques and strategies to help us learn to self-regulate. My favorite piece of advice was mindful breathing. He first educated us on mindful breathing, debunking misconceptions like it’s a religious practice, it’s used only to regulate difficult emotions or prolong pleasant experiences, or that when we practice this we have to take deep belly breaths. The truth behind mindful breathing is that people of all religions – and no religions – breathe; we’ve been breathing our whole lives! What mindfulness actually does is cultivate a deeper awareness of all our experiences, and when we breathe mindfully we are simply breathing normally but being more observant to our breath. We then engaged in a mindful breathing exercise and Dr. Brackett made sure that everyone participated, saying that this was not a time to be working but to be breathing. As I was taking my notes, I did not even realize I was still in work mode and had intended to observe others rather than do the activity myself. But I followed Dr. Brackett’s instructions, stopping what I was doing and becoming a full participant. I am so glad I did because it immediately banished some tension that I wasn’t even aware was building up. If you’re feeling any levels of stress, make sure to stop for a moment and simply breathe.
