Emotion regulation strategies
This theme comprises the experiences of using emotion regulation strategies to deal with difficult emotions recounted by participants. Strategies to regulate emotions involved a variety of helpful actions, such as expressing gratitude, listening to music, meditating, making a pause in one’s work day, and looking at the glass as half full rather than half empty. Participants shared: “Practicing a mindfulness exercise that involved singing negative thoughts was a great discovery that I will use again in the future” and “I am now taking the time to notice the positive side of a situation every day”. Comments expressing the importance of positivity in dealing with difficult emotions were common. Emotional regulation strategies used by participants also involved disputation, de-catastrophising, reappraising, reframing, and using self-compassion: “if you fail, tell yourself that you were not in the best conditions to accomplish this task”. Naming and identifying emotions was also one of the strategies participants used to manage and soothe difficult emotions: “Reconnecting with emotions, even with the most unpleasant ones, is essential in allowing an optimal development, in adapting to different situations encountered, in acknowledging and responding to our psychological needs, in enjoying fully the experiences that we are living, in order to spend less time in the autopilot mode, and be more aware of our internal states. This leads to being able to respond in a relevant way to the demands of a situation instead of being in reaction mode”. In addition, practical and simple actions such as cooking, writing, savouring, learning new skills, physical activity, cultural activities, nature, praying, nutrition, health care, and satisfying basic needs, such as eating when hungry and sitting down when tired, were all mentioned as being helpful for participants.