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This article was co-written by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS. Trudi Griffin is a licensed professional counselor in Wisconsin. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011.
There are 13 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 5,792 times.
There are two types of overreaction: introspective, and extroverted. Extraverted reactions are actions and behaviors that are noticeable to others, such as raising your arms in the air when frustrated or yelling at others angrily. Intrinsic overreactions are emotional reactions that others may or may not notice. Examples of internal overreactions include excessive anxiety or anger that you don’t express. Both types of overreaction are damaging to relationships, credibility, and self-esteem. [1] X Research Resources You can avoid overreacting by learning more about what triggers your emotional response, and finding new ways to deal with it.
Steps
Take Care Of Yourself
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Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep is a common cause of stress, and can lead to short-term anger and emotional overreaction in everyday situations. Self-care includes getting plenty of sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, it will be harder to change your overreaction. [2] X Research Source
- Avoid caffeine if it interferes with your sleep. Caffeine is found in soft drinks, coffee, tea, and soft drinks. If you’re drinking a beverage, make sure it’s caffeine-free.
- Feeling tired increases stress levels, and can make you think irrationally.
- If you can’t change your bedtime, try to increase rest and relaxation time as part of your daily schedule. Naps can be helpful.
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Make sure you eat and drink regularly. If you’re hungry, you’re more likely to overreact. Eat regular, healthy meals throughout the day. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast with lots of protein and avoid sugary foods in your breakfast. [3] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to source
- Avoid junk food, sugary foods, or other foods that can raise blood sugar. Sugary snacks cause stress.
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Exercise regularly. Exercise helps regulate emotions, and brings more positive moods. 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least 5 times a week has been shown to be beneficial in regulating emotions. [4] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source
- Aerobic exercise, such as swimming, walking, running or cycling, works the lungs and heart. Do aerobics as part of your daily workout no matter what type of exercise you choose. If you can’t find 30 minutes a day, start with a shorter one. Even 10-15 minutes will bring improvement. [5] X Trusted Source HelpGuide Go to Source
- Strength training, like lifting weights or doing push-ups, helps strengthen bones and muscles.
- Flexibility exercises, like stretching and yoga, help prevent injury. Yoga helps reduce anxiety and stress, and is appreciated for those trying to avoid overreacting.
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Know your feelings. When someone doesn’t know their feelings until they actually overreact, it can be difficult to change. The trick is to know your feelings before they get too serious. Learn to identify within you the predictive signs of overreaction. [6] X Research Sources
- Physical signs, such as stiff neck or increased heart rate.
- Naming emotions means you have the ability to use both sides of your brain to develop coping strategies.
- The more you understand your own inner reactions, the less likely it is that you will become overwhelmed by them.
Learn New Behavior
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Learn to be aware of false knowledge. Distortion is a way of thinking that automatically convinces people of falsehoods – often negative judgments or harsh self-criticisms that make the person feel bad about themselves. [7] X Research Source Distorted knowledge affects emotions, and causes many overreactions. If a person does not learn to recognize false knowledge, he will continue to overreact. [8] X Research Sources
- Examples of erroneous knowledge include over-generalization, hasty conclusions, and exaggeration. They are all ways that emotional reasoning can override rational thinking.
- When you find yourself using sentences with the word “should,” such as “I should go to the gym… I shouldn’t be lazy,” then you are likely suffering from a cognitive bias.
- Seeing only the potential negative outcomes, and frequently discarding the positives, is common misinformation.
- Becoming aware of cognitive distortions allows you to have more choices about how to respond. There’s a way to remember that you can get skewed by saying, “Don’t believe everything you think!”
- Write automatic thoughts in a journal. Ask yourself if there is any way to examine the causes of your distorted knowledge. Is this automatic thinking part of a kind of intellectual distortion? If so, where does it start? How is it serving you? Becoming more aware of your subconscious thoughts will help you avoid overreacting. [9] X Research Source
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Identify “all or nothing” thinking. This type of automatic thinking, also known as “black-and-white” thinking, is the primary cause of overreaction. Autonomous thinking is not based on rational thinking, but on fearful, overly emotional responses to stressful situations. [10] X Research Source
- The “all or nothing” thinking seems perfectly reasonable, but it is actually misleading knowledge. Training your mind to recognize this type of thinking requires conscious effort and attention on your part.
- Learn to listen seriously from the inner voice, and pay attention to what you are saying. If your inner speech is full of false knowledge, you will benefit from pushing it aside and taking a few deep breaths.
- Replace overreacting with rational thinking. Consider alternative reactions from your inner self.
- Consider practicing affirmations to follow automatic thinking. Affirmations allow you to reframe your negative, all-or-nothing thinking with positive statements that reflect your new beliefs. For example, remind yourself, “Mistakes are not failures. Everyone makes mistakes. I am a person with many skills and talents.” [11] X Research Source
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Take a deep breath before reacting. Pausing to breathe allows you time to consider alternative responses. It can help you break out of automatic thought patterns. Breathe in through your nose while counting to 4; Hold your breath for 3 seconds, then slowly exhale through your mouth for 5 seconds. Repeat if needed. [12] X Research Source
- When your breathing is rapid, your body believes it is engaged in a “fight or flight” battle, and increases anxiety levels. You will be more likely to react in a state of heightened emotions and fear.
- If you breathe more slowly, your body will believe you are calm, and you will be more likely to think rationally.
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Identify your overreaction pattern. Most people have “buttons,” which can cause an overreaction. Common causes include envy, denial, criticism, and control. By learning more about your causes, you will be able to control your emotional responses to them. [13] X Research Source
- Envy is when someone takes what you want, or what you feel you deserve.
- Rejection occurs when someone is not rejected or rejected. Removal from a group activates the same receptors in the brain as physical pain.
- Criticism allows one to engage in the perverse knowledge of over-generalization. The person confuses the critical response with a person who is disliked or unappreciated, not just a single act of criticism.
- Control problems cause overreaction when you worry excessively about not having what you want or losing what you have. This is also an example of aggravating the problem.
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Get a long view. Ask yourself, “How important is this? Will I remember it tomorrow? Or a year from now? So what about 20 years from now?” If the answer is no, then it doesn’t matter how you react right now. Allow yourself to go back to the situation, and admit that it may not matter all that much. [14] X Research Source
- Is there any part of the situation you can do? Is there a way you can work with others to make a change that works for you? If so, try them out.
- Try to be willing to accept the parts of the situation that you cannot change. This doesn’t mean allowing others to hurt you or that you shouldn’t create boundaries. Sometimes this means accepting that you can’t change the situation, and deciding to give up.
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Retrain the brain. When someone regularly has trouble regulating their temper, the brain has a weak connection between the high emotional response center, and the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking. Building stronger links between these two brain centers helps to avoid overreacting. [15] X Research Source
- Behavioral therapy (DBT) is a treatment that has been shown to be effective in people who have difficulty regulating emotions. It works through increasing self-knowledge and requires cognitive reorganization. [16] X Research Source
- Neurobiofeedback and biofeedback are two treatments that have been shown to be effective in healing people with emotional regulation problems. Patients learn to monitor their psychological reactions, and thereby control their overreactions. [17] X Research Source
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Meet an expert. Overreacting can be the result of long-term problems, there is a treatment that can help you sort it out. Understanding the underlying causes can help you get them under control. [18] X Research Sources
- If your overreaction is affecting your relationship or marriage, consider seeing a therapist with a companion or spouse.
- A good therapist will have practical suggestions for your current problem, but will also look for problems from your past, which can manifest through emotional reactions.
- Please be patient. If your emotional overreaction is the result of long-standing secret problems, treatment may take some time. Don’t expect results overnight.
Warning
- Not all strong emotional reactions are outrageous. Don’t underestimate your emotions simply because they are intense.
- If your overreaction causes legal problems, get help right away.
- Sometimes overreacting can be a symptom of mental illness. If this is the case, you will need to seek psychiatric help while dealing with the overreaction problem.
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This article was co-written by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS. Trudi Griffin is a licensed professional counselor in Wisconsin. She received her MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marquette University in 2011.
There are 13 references cited in this article that you can view at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 5,792 times.
There are two types of overreaction: introspective, and extroverted. Extraverted reactions are actions and behaviors that are noticeable to others, such as raising your arms in the air when frustrated or yelling at others angrily. Intrinsic overreactions are emotional reactions that others may or may not notice. Examples of internal overreactions include excessive anxiety or anger that you don’t express. Both types of overreaction are damaging to relationships, credibility, and self-esteem. [1] X Research Resources You can avoid overreacting by learning more about what triggers your emotional response, and finding new ways to deal with it.
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