Dali is barking and barking at the top of the stairs.  Nonstop.  I can’t figure out why.  Normally, I offer her “petting time,” which as the phrase suggests, is when I pet her and rub her neck.  When I do that, she calms down over time.  I call up to her and “Dali, come down for petting time.”

But she doesn’t come to me and she doesn’t stop barking.  At another time, I might go to her, but I have a broken toe and don’t want to get up from the couch.  She keeps barking.  I think it is on the fourth or fifth time of me offering to console her that she comes downstairs, trots over to me on the couch and then sits next to me ready for “petting time,” whining the whole time, expressing her internal discomfort with something.

She reminds me of how I can get sometimes.  Internally upset and having a hard time calming myself down.  It is important to have people in our lives we trust and can turn to for support, but I also believe we need to be our own support.

It can take a lot of work to calm ourselves down when we are having a strong reaction to something.  It’s good to have a couple of skills to turn to at these times and it’s good to practice these skills at times other than when we are emotionally dysregulated, so we are pretty good at doing these skills.

Here is are some good questions to ask yourself when you are revved up (I got them from getselfhelp.co.uk).

Ask yourself:

• What am I REALLY reacting to?
• What is it that is really pushing my buttons here?
• What is it that I think is going to happen?
• What is the worst (and best) that could happen?
• What is most likely to happen?
• Am I getting things out of proportion?
• How important is this really? How important will it be in 6 months time?
• What harm has been done?
• Am I expecting something from this person or situation that is unrealistic?
• Am I overestimating the danger?
• Am I underestimating my ability to cope?
• Am I using a negative filter? Is there another way of looking at it?
• What advice would I give to someone else in this situation?
• Am I spending time ruminating about the past or worrying about the future?
• What could I do right now that would help me feel better?
• How would someone else see this situation? What is the bigger picture?
• What would be the consequences of responding the way I usually do?
• Is there another way of dealing with this? What would be the most helpful and effective action to take?  (for me, for the situation, for the other person)

These are a lot of questions, probably too many to remember.  I recommend writing down about 6 questions that resonate for you and have them handy for when you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed.  By taking time to think through the answer to these questions, you can get a different perspective on the situation and that can help you manage your emotions more effectively.

Please let me know if you find this approach helpful or if you have some other strategies that work for you.

(professional website:  http://www.bethlevinecounseling.com)