Skip to content
AlternativeMed
Understand and manage your emotions: an open blank journal with a pen, a cup of tea, a glass of water and a green plant on a table by a sunlit window.

Improve Your Mood & Emotional Wellbeing

Understand & Manage Your Emotions

Understanding and managing your emotions means noticing what you feel, putting it into words, and choosing how to respond so that feelings inform you without running the day. This page covers naming feelings, writing about them and the everyday coping skills research has looked at, and is plain about what is still uncertain.

General information, not medical advice. Last updated October 31, 2026. Written by the AlternativeMed editorial team. Not medically reviewed.

Start here

  • Pause once or twice a day and name what you feel in a few words (for example "tense and a bit sad"), then say what set it off. Naming comes before managing.
  • Write about it for about 15 minutes, a few times, on a topic that matters to you. Keep it private, stop if it makes you feel worse, and talk to someone you trust or a professional if it stirs up something painful.
  • Look after the basics that move mood and reactivity: sleep, movement, regular meals and time with people you trust. Then pick one coping skill from this page to practise.

Be careful with

  • Feelings are not a problem to be fixed. Sadness, anger, fear and worry are normal signals. This page is about understanding them and choosing a response, not about getting rid of them or feeling happy all the time.
  • Strong emotions that feel unmanageable, last for weeks, or follow a frightening or traumatic event deserve professional support, not more self-help. Writing or looking inward can stir up painful memories, so go gently and stop if you feel worse.
  • Herbs and supplements marketed for mood can interact with prescribed medicines and do not replace care. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine on your own; talk to the person who prescribed it.

Get help when

  • Low mood, hopelessness, or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two weeks or more, or that stops you doing your usual tasks: see a doctor or another health professional.
  • Any thoughts of harming yourself or ending your life, or feeling you cannot keep yourself safe: reach out now. In the United States, the 988 Lifeline site gives 988 as the national mental health hotline. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans lists 116 123 (free from any phone, any time). If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.
  • Panic, constant worry, or feelings of dread that are hard to control, or distressing memories, flashbacks, numbness or feeling constantly on guard after a frightening or painful event.
  • Emotions that regularly lead to outbursts you regret, harming yourself, or using alcohol or other substances to cope, or other people telling you they are worried about you.
  • Emotions that seem flat, absent or hard to feel or describe at all, together with other changes in sleep, appetite, energy or concentration.

About Understand & Manage Your Emotions

What this goal means

Researchers use the term emotion regulation for the things we do, often without noticing, to influence which emotions we have, when we have them, and how we experience and express them. Understanding emotions comes first: noticing a feeling, working out what it is, and seeing what set it off.

This page is about the skill side of that: naming feelings accurately, writing about them, and picking from a toolbox of coping strategies. It is not about suppressing feelings or aiming never to feel bad. Good emotional management usually means feeling the feeling, understanding it, and choosing an action that fits your values and situation.

1,2

Common experiences

People describe this goal in different ways: "I don't know what I feel", "I get overwhelmed and can't think", "it comes out as anger when I'm really hurt", "I bottle things up", "I react and then regret it", or "I feel everything strongly and it wears me out".

Some people find it hard to tell a feeling from a body sensation or a thought. A researcher's term for marked difficulty identifying and describing feelings is alexithymia; in one survey of 501 US adults, those who scored high on it reported using more suppression, withdrawal and ignoring, and less reappraisal and support-seeking. That was a questionnaire study, so it shows a link, not a cause.

3

What shapes how we handle emotions

Many things play a part. Sleep loss is one with good experimental evidence: a 2024 meta-analysis of 154 experiments (5,717 participants) found that sleep loss reduced positive mood and raised anxiety symptoms. Other influences include stress load, physical health, upbringing and culture, past experiences, and the strategies you learned growing up.

Culture matters too. A 2025 meta-analysis of 249 articles (more than 150,000 people from 37 countries or regions) found that how strongly reappraisal and suppression were linked to wellbeing varied with cultural and demographic factors. So no single strategy suits everyone in every setting.

4,5

Where professional help fits

Everyday emotional skills are useful for most people. They are not a treatment for depression, anxiety disorders, trauma or other conditions. Those have their own pages and professional care: see anxiety disorders, panic attacks, trauma-related stress and PTSD, and how stress, anxiety, burnout and depression differ.

If you are already seeing a clinician, the ideas here can sit alongside that care. Ask them before changing anything.

2

Realistic expectations

Emotional skills are learned by practice, like a language, and benefits are usually small to moderate in research on healthy people. Expect to notice more over a few weeks, not to stop having difficult feelings. You will still react in ways you regret sometimes; the goal is quicker recovery and a bigger gap between feeling and acting.

Most trials in this area are short, rely on self-report and recruit students or volunteers, so the results may not match your life exactly.

6,7

Who this applies to

Adults and older teenagers who want to understand themselves better, handle strong feelings more steadily, or support a partner, child or colleague who does. For children and young adolescents, evidence on emotion-focused interventions is sparse, so involve their doctor, school or a child specialist.

People with a mood, anxiety, trauma-related or personality condition, or who use substances to cope, should use these ideas alongside professional care, not instead of it.

2

Related conditions and symptoms

Anxiety Disorders → Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder → Trauma-Related Stress and PTSD → Stress, Anxiety, Burnout and Depression: How They Differ → Burnout →

A manageable starting plan

An educational starting point, not a personal prescription. Adjust it to your own situation and any advice from your clinician.

Your first actions

  • Name your feeling once or twice a day ("I feel ... because ...").
  • Protect sleep, regular meals and some movement most days.
  • Pick one coping skill to practise when calm: slow breathing, reappraisal, or a short walk.

Optional additions

  • Try expressive writing for 15 to 20 minutes, a few times over a week or two.
  • Keep a short evening note of three good things and one hard feeling you named.
  • Explore a feelings wheel to widen your vocabulary.
  • Choose a trusted person to talk to when a feeling is heavy.

What to track

  • Which feelings came up most, and what came before them.
  • Which skills you tried and whether they helped, from 0 to 10.
  • Sleep, meals and movement on your best and hardest days.
  • How quickly you recover after a strong feeling.

When to reassess

Give your new habits three to four weeks. If you still feel overwhelmed, your mood is low for two weeks or more, or you are using substances to cope, see a doctor or therapist rather than trying harder alone.

When to seek professional support

  • A doctor for persistent low mood, worry, sleep or energy changes.
  • A therapist or counsellor for structured skills such as CBT or DBT.
  • A trusted friend or family member to talk to.
  • In the US, 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123; or your local emergency number, if you are in crisis or in danger.

What helps

Ordered by how well the research supports each step. Evidence strength is shown on every card; precautions sit next to the advice.

Start here

Naming what you feel (affect labelling)

Low certainty

Addresses: Gives a vague, heavy feeling a name, which can take some of the charge out of it

Why it may help: In a brain-imaging study, putting feelings into words reduced the response of the amygdala (a brain region involved in emotional reactions) to negative images and increased activity in a prefrontal region, compared with other tasks. In a small laboratory study of spider-fearful people, a group that labelled their feelings during exposure showed less skin-conductance response one week later than other groups, though they did not report less fear. These are laboratory studies, not trials of daily life.

How to apply it: Once or twice a day, stop and finish the sentence "Right now I feel ..." using two or three specific words (nervous, let down, embarrassed, relieved) rather than just "bad". Then add "because ...". Do it out loud, in a note on your phone or on paper.

Who it may suit: Almost everyone, including people who say they don't know what they feel.

Precautions: Naming a feeling is not the same as acting on it. If naming brings up intense distress or painful memories, slow down and consider support from a professional.

8,9

Expressive writing about something that matters

Low certainty

Addresses: Can modestly reduce distress and symptoms of low mood, anxiety and stress for some people

Why it may help: A 2006 meta-analysis of 146 randomised studies found a small but significant average benefit of writing about personal, meaningful topics (average r = .075). A 2023 meta-analysis of 31 randomised trials (4,012 people in healthy or subclinical groups) found a small effect on depression, anxiety and stress symptoms (g = -0.12) that appeared after a delay, and it was slightly stronger when sessions were spaced one to three days apart.

How to apply it: Set aside about 15 to 20 minutes, three or four times over a week or two. Write continuously about a stressful or emotional experience: what happened, what you felt, what it means. No one else needs to read it. Spelling and style do not matter.

Who it may suit: Adults dealing with a stressful event or ongoing feelings, who find writing easier than talking.

Precautions: Effects are small and not everyone benefits. Writing can briefly make you feel worse. If you have experienced trauma, or writing leaves you distressed, stop and speak to a clinician or someone you trust. It is not a substitute for therapy.

10,7

Therapy for anxiety and stress →

Sleep, regular meals and movement as emotional groundwork

Moderate certainty

Addresses: Steadier mood and reactions when you are not run down

Why it may help: Sleep is the best studied. A 2024 meta-analysis of experiments (154 studies) found sleep loss reduced positive affect and increased anxiety symptoms. For movement, a 2024 network meta-analysis in people with major depression (218 studies, 14,170 participants) found moderate improvements in depression with walking or jogging, yoga, strength training, mixed aerobic exercise and tai chi or qigong. That was in a clinical group, and almost all the trials were rated as having some risk of bias, so it does not prove the same effect in everyday emotions.

How to apply it: Protect a regular sleep window, eat at steady times, and add movement you can keep doing. When you notice a strong emotion, ask: have I slept, eaten, moved and had water today?

Who it may suit: Anyone who notices reactions are worse when tired or hungry.

Precautions: Check with a doctor before starting vigorous exercise if you have a heart or other health condition. Exercise supports care but does not replace it.

4,11

Build a Healthy Sleep Schedule → Improve Your Sleep Quality →

Reappraisal: looking at a situation another way

Moderate certainty

Addresses: Changes how strongly a situation feels by changing what it means to you

Why it may help: A 2012 meta-analysis of 306 experimental comparisons found that cognitive change strategies had a small-to-medium effect on emotional outcomes (d about 0.36 for re-thinking the situation itself) and did better than attention-based strategies overall. A large meta-analysis of 114 studies of everyday habits found reappraisal was linked to fewer symptoms, with a small-to-medium size, which was smaller than the link for rumination. Those habit studies are correlational.

How to apply it: Ask yourself: What else could this mean? What would I say to a friend in this spot? How will this look in a week or a year? Try it on a mild annoyance first, so the skill is there for harder moments.

Who it may suit: People who tend to catastrophise or take things personally.

Precautions: Reappraisal is not talking yourself out of a real problem or a valid feeling. If a situation is truly unsafe or unfair, the right response is to act or get support.

6,1

Additional options

Problem solving and acceptance

Low certainty

Addresses: Helps you act on what can be changed and make room for what cannot

Why it may help: In a meta-analysis of 114 studies on habitual strategies, acceptance and problem solving were linked to fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, eating and substance problems (acceptance in the small-to-medium range; problem solving medium to large). These were mostly questionnaire-based associations. Acceptance and problem-solving skills are also parts of structured therapies such as CBT.

How to apply it: Ask: Is there something I can do about this? If yes, write down one small step. If no, practise letting the feeling be there without fighting it, and turn your attention to what matters next.

Who it may suit: People who get stuck between worry and avoidance.

Precautions: Acceptance means allowing a feeling, not tolerating harmful situations or treatment.

1

Calm a Busy Mind →

Slow, steady breathing to settle the body

Low certainty

Addresses: Quiets the body's stress response in the moment so you can think

Why it may help: A 2022 meta-analysis of 223 studies found voluntary slow breathing raised heart-rate variability, a marker of calmer body regulation, during and after practice. A small 2019 systematic review of diaphragmatic breathing (three studies) reported lower stress on physiological and questionnaire measures, but pooling was not possible and the studies were small. These do not directly show better handling of emotions in daily life.

How to apply it: Breathe in gently through the nose for about four seconds and out slowly for about six, for a few minutes. Practise when calm so you can use it when you are not.

Who it may suit: Most people; useful when feelings show up as a racing heart or tight chest.

Precautions: Stop if you feel dizzy. If breathing exercises trigger panic or if you have a breathing or heart condition, ask a clinician first.

12,13

Breathing exercises for stress → Breathwork →

Distraction used on purpose, for a short while

Low certainty

Addresses: Takes the edge off a peak of feeling so you can return to it with a clearer head

Why it may help: The 2012 meta-analysis found distraction was an effective way to change how people felt in the short term (d about 0.27), while simply concentrating on the feeling was not. Habitual avoidance, in contrast, was linked to more symptoms in the 2010 review of everyday habits, so timing matters.

How to apply it: Choose something absorbing and neutral (a walk, a puzzle, a call, tidying) for 10 to 20 minutes during a wave of emotion, then come back and name what you felt and what you need.

Who it may suit: Anyone caught in a peak of feeling who needs to settle first.

Precautions: Distraction that never lets you return to the feeling can become avoidance. Using alcohol or substances to distract tends to make things worse.

6,1

Gratitude or positive-affect journaling

Low certainty

Addresses: May lift positive feelings and wellbeing a little

Why it may help: A 2025 meta-analysis of 145 papers (24,804 participants from 28 countries) found gratitude interventions led to small increases in wellbeing (g = 0.19), larger when outcomes were positive feelings. A preliminary 2018 randomised trial of 70 adults with medical conditions and raised anxiety found 15-minute online positive-affect journaling, three days a week for 12 weeks, was linked to less depressive and anxiety symptoms at one month and greater resilience at the first and second month compared with usual care, though that trial was small and early-stage.

How to apply it: At the end of the day, write down three things that went well or that you are glad of and what they meant to you, or write for 15 minutes about the good moments. Pair this with naming harder feelings rather than replacing it.

Who it may suit: People who prefer a calmer, forward-looking form of journaling.

Precautions: Forced positivity can feel hollow and may leave real problems unaddressed. Skip it on days it feels like pressure.

14,15

Still being studied

Building a larger emotional vocabulary (emotional granularity)

Not enough evidence

Addresses: May help people tell similar feelings apart and respond more precisely

Why it may help: A 2025 scoping review of 98 articles found higher emotional granularity was linked to better psychological and social functioning. A survey of 397 Japanese adults found those who knew more emotion words had greater emotional granularity and better mental health scores. These are associations; We did not find trials showing that learning feeling words improves mood.

How to apply it: Look at a list of feeling words (such as a feelings wheel) and, when you notice a feeling, try to choose the most exact word, not just "stressed".

Who it may suit: Anyone who tends to say "fine" or "stressed" for everything.

Precautions: The link may run both ways. Do not treat a low vocabulary as a flaw.

16,17

Smartphone and online emotion-skills programs

Not enough evidence

Addresses: Might offer a convenient way to practise skills between sessions

Why it may help: We did not find a completed trial I could verify for a specific program in healthy adults. One of the trials I found was only a protocol, so We did not use it.

How to apply it: If you try one, choose programs run or reviewed by health services or universities, and treat them as practice aids.

Who it may suit: People who like structure and tracking.

Precautions: Quality varies widely. Be wary of apps that promise to fix mood or collect sensitive data without clear privacy terms.

Self-tracking your mood and triggers

Not enough evidence

Addresses: Could make patterns visible, such as what tends to come before a bad evening

Why it may help: We did not find a good randomised trial of mood self-tracking alone in healthy adults. It is commonly included in therapies such as CBT as a step toward understanding triggers.

How to apply it: Once a day, note mood on a scale of 1 to 10, one or two feeling words, and what happened. Review it weekly. Share it with a clinician if you have one.

Who it may suit: People who like data and want to spot patterns.

Precautions: If tracking makes you more anxious or preoccupied, stop or reduce it.

Food & nutrition

Eating and drinking with your emotions in mind

We did not find trials that show a particular food or nutrient helps people understand or manage everyday emotions, so none is recommended here. Regular meals, enough fluid and avoiding long gaps without food are sensible basics that many people find help them think more clearly when upset.

If you often eat or drink to cope with feelings (emotional eating, or drinking alcohol), that is a pattern worth noticing and, if it is causing distress, raising with a doctor or counsellor. It is not a personal failing.

  • Eat at regular times so hunger is not adding to irritability or low mood.
  • Keep water close and notice whether thirst or tiredness is part of the feeling.
  • Treat caffeine with care if feelings of jitteriness or worry are part of your pattern.
  • If emotions regularly drive eating or drinking you regret, talk to a health professional.
1

Remedies & supplements

Traditional use, laboratory findings and human trials are kept apart. "Natural" does not mean safe.

St John's wort

Low certainty

Studied form and route: Herbal extract capsules or teas

Intended outcome: Studied for major depression, not for everyday emotion skills

Human evidence: A Cochrane review of 29 randomised trials (5,489 people with major depression) concluded that the extracts tested were better than placebo and similar to standard antidepressants, with fewer dropouts due to side effects, but results varied between trials and countries. NCCIH summarises the evidence as insufficient to allow definite conclusions.

Traditional use: Used for centuries in European folk medicine for low spirits.

Laboratory findings: Laboratory studies show activity in the body that explains why it interacts with many medicines.

Limits: Trials were in people with diagnosed depression, not for everyday feelings. Products differ in strength.

Interactions and precautions: St John's wort can weaken or interact with many medicines (including some antidepressants, birth control pills and blood thinners) and, taken with some antidepressants, can cause serious serotonin-related side effects. NCCIH advises talking to your health care provider before use and says it may be unsafe in pregnancy. Do not use it to replace care, and never stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

18,19

St John's wort →

Calming herbal teas (for example chamomile or lemon balm)

Not enough evidence

Studied form and route: Warm herbal tea

Intended outcome: A pleasant pause that makes a good cue to check in with yourself; effects on emotion skills are not established

Human evidence: We did not verify specific trials of these teas for understanding or managing everyday emotions.

Traditional use: Widely used as calming evening drinks in many traditions.

Laboratory findings: Laboratory work exists but does not prove an effect in people.

Limits: Any benefit may come mostly from the ritual of a quiet warm drink.

Interactions and precautions: Herbs can interact with medicines and may not suit pregnancy or breastfeeding. Chamomile can affect people allergic to daisy-family plants. Ask a pharmacist.

Chamomile → Lemon balm →

Therapies & care

If your emotions feel unmanageable, last for weeks, or are affecting your relationships, work, sleep or safety, a doctor, psychologist, counsellor or other mental health professional can help, and asking for help is a strength. This page does not name medicines or doses; a clinician can talk through all options with you.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills

Moderate certainty

Talking therapy An umbrella review of 21 systematic reviews (11 with meta-analyses) found that DBT and CBT reduced emotion dysregulation in many adult patient groups and in healthy participants, with a moderate overall risk of bias. DBT teaches emotion-regulation, distress-tolerance and mindfulness skills.

Who it may suit: People whose emotions often feel too intense, or who want structured skills with support.

Precautions: Quality depends on a trained therapist. Evidence is sparse for children and young adolescents.

2

Therapy for anxiety and stress →

Unified Protocol for emotional disorders

Moderate certainty

Structured talking therapy A meta-analysis of 15 studies (1,244 participants) found large reductions in symptoms of anxiety, depression and related disorders, plus better use of adaptive emotion-regulation strategies. It is designed for people with diagnosed emotional disorders and delivered by trained clinicians.

Who it may suit: People with anxiety, depression or related conditions who want an emotion-focused approach.

Precautions: Not a self-help guide; availability varies by country.

20

Mindfulness and meditation practice

Low certainty

Self-practice or guided course Teaches noticing feelings without judging or acting on them straight away. Our stress guide covers the evidence in more detail.

Who it may suit: People who want to observe feelings with less reactivity.

Precautions: A few people find that sitting with feelings increases distress; try shorter sessions or a trained teacher, and stop if it feels like too much.

Mindfulness and meditation for stress → Meditation →

Talking to your doctor

Not enough evidence

First step in care A doctor can rule out physical causes of mood or emotional changes, check how medicines or sleep may be affecting you, and refer you to talking therapy or other support.

Who it may suit: Anyone with persistent, worrying or confusing emotional changes.

Precautions: Bring a written list of what you notice, when it happens, and what medicines and supplements you take.

What to avoid

Habits, products and claims that can get in the way. Never stop a prescribed medicine without talking to the professional who prescribed it.

Risks that apply to most people

Bottling it up or pushing feelings away

Moderate certainty

Why: In the 2010 meta-analysis of everyday strategies, suppression and avoidance were linked to more symptoms (medium to large). The 2012 experimental meta-analysis found suppressing the expression of emotion helped a little in the short term, but suppressing the experience of emotion or thoughts did not work.

Who it applies to: Anyone who copes by not feeling or not talking.

Try instead: Name the feeling, let it be there, and then choose a response. Talk to someone you trust.

1,6

Using alcohol or other substances to switch feelings off

Low certainty

Why: Substance-related problems were among the outcomes linked to avoidant coping in the 2010 meta-analysis. This is an association, but numbing with a substance does not teach emotional skills and can make mood and sleep worse.

Who it applies to: Anyone who reaches for a drink or another substance after a hard day.

Try instead: Use a short non-substance reset (a walk, shower, music, call a friend), then return to the feeling.

1

Personal triggers to check

Rumination: going over and over the same feelings and causes

Moderate certainty

Why: Rumination had the largest link with symptoms (large effect size) of the six strategies in the 2010 meta-analysis of 114 studies. It is a risk marker in questionnaire studies, not proof it causes them.

Who it applies to: People who replay conversations or ask "why do I feel like this?" repeatedly.

Try instead: When you notice a loop, name the feeling once, ask what small step you can take, then change activity.

1

Calm a Busy Mind →

Running on too little sleep

Moderate certainty

Why: Experimental sleep loss reduced positive mood and raised anxiety symptoms in a 2024 meta-analysis of 154 studies. Emotional reactions may be sharper when you are tired.

Who it applies to: Anyone short on sleep, including shift workers and new parents.

Try instead: Delay big emotional conversations and decisions until you have rested, when you can.

4

Improve Your Sleep Quality →

Products that need caution

Mood or "emotional balance" supplements, teas and gadgets sold as a fix

Not enough evidence

Why: We did not find independent trials showing that a particular over-the-counter product helps people understand or manage everyday emotions. Some herbs, such as St John's wort, have medicine interactions that can be serious.

Who it applies to: Anyone tempted by marketing around calm or mood.

Try instead: Start with free, proven habits (sleep, movement, writing, talking). Ask a pharmacist or doctor before any herb or supplement.

19

Supplements, teas and adaptogens for stress compared →

Unsupported claims

"Never suppress anything: venting always releases the pressure"

Low certainty

Why: The research on strategies is more nuanced. In the 2012 meta-analysis, expressing or suppressing emotion had mixed short-term effects, depending on what was suppressed. Acting out strong feelings is not the same as understanding them.

Who it applies to: Anyone told to just let it all out.

Try instead: Express feelings in words, in writing or with someone you trust. If you feel like lashing out, pause first and cool down.

6

Manage Irritability →

"Positive thinking fixes everything" or "you should always feel happy"

Moderate certainty

Why: Gratitude and positive-affect interventions give small average effects (g about 0.19), not transformations. Telling yourself to be positive does not replace working through a hard situation or getting support.

Who it applies to: Social media and quick-fix advice.

Try instead: Aim for flexibility: some days you reappraise, some days you act, and some days you ask for help.

14

Common mistakes

Treating one strategy as the answer to everything

Moderate certainty

Why: Reviews found no single strategy suits everyone. The way strategies relate to wellbeing varied by culture and demographics in the 2025 meta-analysis, and strategies group into broader patterns instead of acting alone.

Who it applies to: Anyone who relies only on reappraisal, only on distraction or only on talking.

Try instead: Build a small toolbox: name it, pause and breathe, reappraise or act, and reach out.

5,21

Doing it alone when it is too much

Moderate certainty

Why: Structured therapies such as CBT and DBT have the best-reviewed evidence for reducing emotion dysregulation, and talking therapies can teach these skills with support.

Who it applies to: Anyone whose emotions feel unmanageable or who feels stuck despite trying.

Try instead: Speak to a doctor or therapist. See the Therapies and Care tab for what to ask.

2

Therapy for anxiety and stress →

Evidence & safety

What the research shows

The strongest evidence is for structured talking therapies (CBT and DBT) in reducing difficulty regulating emotion and for sleep's effect on mood. For everyday self-help, research shows small to moderate effects: reappraisal and short-term distraction change how feelings land in experiments, expressive writing gives a small average benefit, and gratitude exercises give small increases in wellbeing. Rumination and avoidance are consistently linked to more symptoms, though mostly in questionnaire studies. Naming feelings has laboratory support but few real-life trials.

Limits of the evidence

  • Many studies are short, use students or volunteers and rely on questionnaires, so they show links more than causes.
  • Laboratory findings (brain imaging, skin conductance) do not always carry over to daily life.
  • Effects of self-help are small on average and vary between people and cultures.
  • Little research tests naming feelings, vocabulary building or mood tracking on their own in everyday life.
  • We did not read full texts; summaries are based on abstracts.

Precautions and interactions

  • Writing or looking inward can bring up painful memories; stop and get support if you feel worse.
  • Breathing and mindfulness practices are generally well tolerated but can occasionally increase anxiety or distress in some people.
  • Herbs and supplements can interact with medicines; St John's wort is a well-known example. Ask a pharmacist or doctor first.
  • Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without speaking to the prescriber.

Life-stage considerations

  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid St John's wort unless a clinician advises (NCCIH says it may be unsafe in pregnancy and can affect breastfed infants). Check any herb or supplement with your midwife or doctor. Emotional changes during and after pregnancy deserve professional attention.
  • Children and young adolescents: evidence on emotion-focused interventions is sparse; involve a doctor or child specialist.
  • Older adults: low mood, withdrawal or confusion are not just ageing; mention them to a doctor, and check medicines and supplements for interactions.
  • People on prescribed medicines or with chronic conditions: talk to your clinician before adding herbs, supplements or intense exercise.

Warning signs

  • Low mood, hopelessness or loss of interest lasting two weeks or more.
  • Any thoughts of self-harm or ending your life: contact a crisis line or emergency services now (988 in the US; Samaritans 116 123 in the UK and Ireland).
  • Panic, intense dread or flashbacks after a frightening event.
  • Emotions that lead to outbursts, self-harm or substance use you cannot control.

Claim checks

Putting feelings into words calms the brain's reaction

Low certainty

Supported in laboratory studies: labelling reduced amygdala responses to negative images in an imaging study, and reduced skin-conductance responses in a spider-fear study, but not self-reported fear. Real-life trials are limited.

8,9

Writing about your feelings improves mental health

Low certainty

Small average benefit in randomised studies (146 studies in 2006; 31 trials in 2023), delayed and not for everyone. It is not a treatment for depression or trauma.

10,7

Suppressing emotions is always unhealthy

Mixed findings

More nuanced. Suppression of the experience of emotion did not help in experiments, and habitual suppression and avoidance were linked to more symptoms, while hiding the outward expression helped a little in the short term. Effects vary by culture.

6,1,5

Rumination is just thinking things through

Moderate certainty

Habitual rumination had the strongest link with symptoms among six strategies. It is an association, but it argues against going round in circles.

1

Help is available at any hour if you are in crisis

Not enough evidence

The 988 Lifeline site presents 988 as the national mental health hotline in the United States, and Samaritans lists 116 123 as a free number from any phone in the UK and Ireland, available day or night. Availability in other countries differs; use your local emergency number.

22,23

A herbal supplement can replace talking therapy or prescribed treatment for emotions

Evidence against

Not supported. St John's wort has been studied only for diagnosed depression, results vary, and it interacts with many medicines.

18,19

Questions people ask

What does it mean to understand and manage your emotions?

It means noticing what you feel, naming it, understanding what set it off, and choosing how to respond. Researchers call the influencing part emotion regulation. The goal is not to get rid of feelings but to relate to them in a way that helps you.

Is it bad to bottle up feelings?

Studies link habitual suppression and avoidance with more symptoms, although they are mostly questionnaire-based. Experiments show that hiding the outward expression of a feeling can help a little in the moment, but pushing away the feeling itself does not. A middle path, such as pausing and then naming or sharing it, tends to serve people better.

Does writing about feelings really help?

On average it gives a small benefit. A 2023 meta-analysis of 31 randomised trials found a small effect on depression, anxiety and stress that grew over time. It is not a treatment, and it can feel worse before better. Stop and seek support if it stirs up distress.

How do I name an emotion if I can't tell what I feel?

Start with the body (tight chest, heavy limbs, hot face) and the situation, then try a short list of feeling words or a feelings wheel. Offer yourself a few guesses and see which fits. Some people find this hard, and a therapist can help.

What is the difference between suppression and reappraisal?

Suppression is hiding or holding in a feeling. Reappraisal is changing what a situation means so the feeling changes. Experiments found reappraising the situation more helpful than most strategies, while suppressing the experience of emotion did not help.

Can breathing exercises help me manage emotions?

Slow breathing increases heart-rate variability, a sign of calmer body regulation, but trials directly showing better emotion handling in daily life are limited. It is a low-risk way to settle your body first. Stop if you feel dizzy or panicky.

Are emotional skills a replacement for therapy?

No. They are everyday tools. Structured therapies such as CBT and DBT have the strongest reviews for emotion dysregulation, and professional care is important for depression, anxiety disorders or trauma.

When should I see a doctor about my emotions?

When low mood, hopelessness or loss of interest lasts two weeks or more, when feelings stop you doing usual tasks, when you are using alcohol or substances to cope, or after a frightening event that still affects you. If you have any thoughts of self-harm, contact a crisis line or emergency services now.

Can St John's wort help my mood?

It has been studied for diagnosed major depression, with mixed results across trials. It can interact seriously with many medicines, including some antidepressants and birth control pills, so talk to a doctor or pharmacist first. It is not a way to manage everyday emotions and should not replace care.

How is this different from managing stress or building resilience?

This page is about understanding and working with the feelings themselves: naming, writing and regulation skills. Stress load, resilience, irritability, self-criticism and loneliness each have their own goal page linked below.

Why do I feel more emotional when I'm tired?

Experimental research shows sleep loss reduces positive mood and raises anxiety symptoms. Hunger, illness and stress can add to this. If you are often tired and emotional, check your sleep and talk to a doctor if it persists.

References

  1. Aldao A, Nolen-Hoeksema S, Schweizer S. Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: a meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010. PMID 20015584. source
  2. Saccaro LF, Giff A, De Rossi MM, et al. Interventions targeting emotion regulation: a systematic umbrella review. J Psychiatr Res. 2024. PMID 38677089. source
  3. Preece DA, Mehta A, Petrova K, et al. Alexithymia and emotion regulation. J Affect Disord. 2023. PMID 36566943. source
  4. Palmer CA, Bower JL, Cho KW, et al. Sleep loss and emotion: a systematic review and meta-analysis of over 50 years of experimental research. Psychol Bull. 2024. PMID 38127505. source
  5. Chen MS, Cai Q, Omari D, et al. Emotion regulation and mental health across cultures: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nat Hum Behav. 2025. PMID 40234629. source
  6. Webb TL, Miles E, Sheeran P. Dealing with feeling: a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of strategies derived from the process model of emotion regulation. Psychol Bull. 2012. PMID 22582737. source
  7. Guo L, et al. The delayed, durable effect of expressive writing on depression, anxiety and stress: a meta-analytic review of studies with long-term follow-ups. Br J Clin Psychol. 2023. PMID 36536513. source
  8. Lieberman MD, Eisenberger NI, Crockett MJ, et al. Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychol Sci. 2007. PMID 17576282. source
  9. Kircanski K, Lieberman MD, Craske MG. Feelings into words: contributions of language to exposure therapy. Psychol Sci. 2012. PMID 22902568. source
  10. Frattaroli J. Experimental disclosure and its moderators: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 2006. PMID 17073523. source
  11. Noetel M, Sanders T, Gallardo-Gomez D, et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2024. PMID 38355154. source
  12. Laborde S, Allen MS, Borges U, et al. Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022. PMID 35623448. source
  13. Hopper SI, Murray SL, Ferrara LR, Singleton JK. Effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for reducing physiological and psychological stress in adults: a quantitative systematic review. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2019. PMID 31436595. source
  14. Choi H, Cha Y, McCullough ME, et al. A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of gratitude interventions on well-being across cultures. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025. PMID 40627390. source
  15. Smyth JM, Johnson JA, Auer BJ, et al. Online positive affect journaling in the improvement of mental distress and well-being in general medical patients with elevated anxiety symptoms: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. JMIR Ment Health. 2018. PMID 30530460. source
  16. Ozomaro B, Wein PY, Miller S, et al. Emotional granularity in health and psychopathology: a scoping review. J Psychiatr Res. 2025. PMID 40816203. source
  17. Ikeda S. The more emotional words you know, the higher your mental health. Scand J Psychol. 2023. PMID 37198965. source
  18. Linde K, Berner MM, Kriston L. St John's wort for major depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008. PMID 18843608. source
  19. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). St. John's Wort. source
  20. Sakiris N, Berle D. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the Unified Protocol as a transdiagnostic emotion regulation based intervention. Clin Psychol Rev. 2019. PMID 31271848. source
  21. Naragon-Gainey K, McMahon TP, Chacko TP. The structure of common emotion regulation strategies: a meta-analytic examination. Psychol Bull. 2017. PMID 28301202. source
  22. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. source
  23. Samaritans. Contact a Samaritan. source

Related on AlternativeMed

Related goals

Support a More Balanced Mood → Manage Irritability → Rebuild Motivation → Make More Room for Enjoyment → Build Emotional Resilience → Cope With Difficult Life Changes → Practice Self-Compassion → Feel More Connected to Others → Reduce Loneliness → Calm a Busy Mind → Feel Calmer During the Day → Improve Your Sleep Quality →

Ingredients, foods and supplements

St John's wort → Chamomile → Lemon balm → Supplements, Teas and Adaptogens for Stress Compared →

Research, safety and claim-check resources

Therapy for Anxiety and Stress → Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress → Breathing exercises for stress → Movement, Yoga and Tai Chi for Stress → Relaxation techniques → Stress safety and when to get help → Meditation → Breathwork →