Emotional Regulation Vocabulary

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• The situation was beyond control and required immediate intervention.
• The party got way out of hand and was beyond control.
• The whole situation was a hot mess and beyond control.
• Her emotions were like a raging storm, completely beyond control.

noun a state of being tranquil or peaceful

• The speaker addressed the audience with a sense of calmness and composure.
• She handled the situation with such calmness, it was impressive.
• I need to channel my inner zen for some calmness right now.
• The lake reflected the moonlight with a serene calmness.

noun A tight grasp or grip

verb To close tightly; to grip or grasp tightly

• She could feel her hands start to clench as she tried to control her anger.
• I could see him clenching his fists, ready to throw a punch.
• He was clenching so hard, his knuckles turned white.
• The suspense was so intense, I could feel my heart clench in my chest.

noun a calm and composed state of mind or bearing

• She maintained her composure during the high-pressure presentation.
• Even though she was nervous, she managed to keep her composure in front of the audience.
• I don't know how he kept his composure when his ex walked in with her new boyfriend.
• The storm raged outside, but inside she was a picture of composure.

verb to make a situation less tense or dangerous by reducing the likelihood of conflict or violence

• The negotiator was able to defuse the tense situation and prevent any violence.
• I had to defuse the argument between my siblings before it escalated.
• I used humor to defuse the awkwardness of the situation.
• The therapist helped me defuse my pent-up emotions through therapy sessions.

noun a French term meaning 'the happy medium' or 'the golden mean', referring to the ideal balance or middle ground between two extremes

• Finding the juste milieu between work and leisure is essential for a balanced lifestyle.
• I'm trying to find the juste milieu between studying and hanging out with friends.
• Dude, you need to find the juste milieu between partying and taking care of responsibilities.
• In literature, the character often represents the juste milieu between good and evil.

noun a restraint or limit placed on someone or something

verb to hold or restrain someone or something

adverb in a backward direction

• Please remember to keep back from the edge of the platform while waiting for the train.
• Hey, can you keep back a bit so I can have some space too?
• Yo, dude, keep back, I'm trying to concentrate here.
• It's important to keep back your emotions and think logically in this situation.

noun the act of making something less high or less in amount

verb the act of making something less high or less in amount

adjective making something less high or less in amount

• The act of lowering interest rates can stimulate economic growth.
• Lowering the volume on the TV, please.
• I'm always lowering my expectations to avoid disappointment.
• Lowering your guard can make you more vulnerable to attacks.

adjective describing a lack of emotion or showing no emotion

• The scientist presented a nonemotional analysis of the data during the conference.
• She tends to be pretty nonemotional when it comes to making decisions.
• I can't believe how nonemotional he was when he broke up with her.
• His nonemotional facade was just a cover for the pain he was feeling inside.

adjective Describing something that is not able to be managed or restrained

preposition Indicating a situation where something is beyond regulation or restraint

• The situation quickly spiraled out of control as the protesters refused to disperse.
• The party last night got way out of control with people dancing on tables and breaking things.
• The fight at the bar was totally out of control, with bottles flying everywhere.
• Her emotions were out of control, causing her to burst into tears at the slightest provocation.

adjective excessively enthusiastic or excited

• The overexuberant display of emotions at the meeting was deemed unprofessional.
• She can be a bit overexuberant when she's excited about something.
• Dude, calm down with your overexuberant enthusiasm.
• His overexuberant personality was like a burst of fireworks in a quiet room.

verb to calm or soothe someone or something

adjective having the quality of calming or soothing

• The diplomat played a crucial role in pacifying the tensions between the two countries.
• She always has a way of pacifying people when they are upset.
• I tried pacifying my little brother by giving him some candy.
• Listening to music has a pacifying effect on my mind after a long day.

verb to suppress or extinguish completely

• The police were able to quell the riot before it escalated further.
• I tried to quell my nerves before the big presentation.
• He quelled the rumors by setting the record straight.
• She used meditation to quell the storm of emotions within her.

verb to suppress or put an end to something, usually by force

• The authorities quelled the protest before it turned violent.
• The teacher quelled the students' chatter with a stern look.
• The security guard quelled the commotion at the club last night.
• His soothing words quelled her fears and doubts.

noun the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior

• Self-control is essential in maintaining a professional demeanor in the workplace.
• I really need to work on my self-control when it comes to eating junk food.
• Dude, you seriously need to up your self-control game at parties.
• Having self-control is like having a superpower to resist temptations.

adjective Describing a person who has control over their emotions and actions

• She demonstrated great self-controlled during the stressful meeting.
• I wish I could be as self-controlled as you are in difficult situations.
• He's always so self-controlled, it's kind of annoying sometimes.
• The dancer moved with a self-controlled grace that mesmerized the audience.

verb To become calmer or less agitated, to relax or settle down

• Please try to simmer down and approach the situation with a calm demeanor.
• Hey, why don't you simmer down and relax a bit?
• Dude, you need to simmer down before you blow a gasket.
• The tension in the room seemed to simmer down as everyone started to focus on finding a solution.

adjective not based on reason or logic; irrational

• His unreasoning fear of spiders caused him to avoid going into the basement.
• She had an unreasoning dislike for the new neighbor.
• I don't know why he has such an unreasoning hatred for that band.
• The unreasoning anger in his eyes was unsettling.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

• Self soothing techniques can be beneficial for managing stress and anxiety.
• When I feel overwhelmed, I like to practice self soothing by taking a hot bath.
• I'm feeling really stressed out, I need to do some self soothing ASAP.
• Listening to music is my form of self soothing when I need to relax and unwind.

noun a loud vocal expression of strong emotion, typically pain or sorrow

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it)

• Some parents believe in the cry it out method as a way to teach babies to self-soothe.
• I tried the cry it out technique with my baby last night and it was tough.
• If you want your baby to sleep through the night, you might have to cry it out a bit.
• Sometimes you just need to cry it out and let your emotions out.

noun a blend of the words 'man' and 'tantrum', used to describe an adult behaving in a childish or tantrum-like manner

• The CEO threw a mantrum when he found out about the decrease in quarterly profits.
• My dad always has a mantrum when his favorite sports team loses a game.
• Stop having a mantrum and just deal with it.
• Her mantrum was like a storm, loud and intense but quickly passing.

verb to invest emotional energy or feelings in a person, object, or idea

• The therapist discussed the process of cathecting emotions onto certain objects.
• I find myself cathecting all my feelings onto my favorite mug.
• Stop cathecting on your ex, it's time to move on.
• The artist was cathecting his passion into his latest masterpiece.

noun a plural form of amygdala, which refers to a small, almond-shaped mass of gray matter located in the brain that is involved in processing emotions and memory

• The amygdalae are almond-shaped clusters of nuclei located deep within the brain.
• Scientists believe that the amygdalae play a key role in processing emotions.
• I heard that guy has overactive amygdalae, which makes him easily triggered.
• Her amygdalae were on high alert during the horror movie, causing her to jump at every little sound.

noun a device on a phone or other communication device used to make a call

verb to reduce the intensity or level of something

• The company decided to dial down their marketing efforts in order to focus on other areas of the business.
• You might want to dial down the volume on the TV, it's a bit too loud.
• Hey man, can you dial down the attitude? No need to be so aggressive.
• After the heated argument, she knew she needed to dial down her emotions and approach the situation calmly.