Pick Me Up Tuesday: Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana
Emotional Regulation Techniques That Calm the Storm
Have you ever felt like your emotions are running the show?
One moment you’re calm—and the next, you’re snapping at a loved one, crying in the car, or feeling completely shut down. Emotional overwhelm happens to all of us. The key is learning how to respond rather than react.
In this Pick-Me-Up Tuesday blog, we’re exploring practical, evidence-based emotional regulation techniques that help you stay grounded—even in high-stress moments. Whether you’re navigating anxiety, parenting challenges, or just trying to make it through the day without feeling like you’re about to burst, these tools are here to help.
At Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana, our therapy sessions often include these techniques—enhanced by the calming presence of therapy dogs who support emotional balance in powerful ways.
🧘 What Are Emotional Regulation Techniques?
Emotional regulation refers to the ability to understand, manage, and respond to emotional experiences in a healthy way. It doesn’t mean suppressing your feelings—it means honoring them without being ruled by them.
Emotional regulation techniques are strategies that help you:
Calm your nervous system
Increase self-awareness
Make space between feeling and action
Develop healthier relationships
These tools are especially important for children and teens whose brains are still developing—and who often haven’t learned the language for what they’re feeling yet.
📘 Learn more about emotional regulation from Psychology Today
🐾 Why Therapy Animals Help Regulate Emotions
At AACI, we use animal-assisted therapy because therapy dogs naturally support co-regulation. Their presence:
Helps clients feel safer and more grounded
Lowers blood pressure and heart rate
Provides non-verbal emotional comfort
Offers a break from intense verbal processing
This is especially helpful for children and teens who might be nervous or hesitant to talk. A therapy dog curled up nearby makes sessions feel less intimidating and more emotionally safe.
🌬️ 1. Deep Breathing Techniques
One of the fastest ways to calm the brain is through intentional breathing. Try this Box Breathing technique:
Inhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Exhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Repeat 4 times
Try doing this while sitting with your dog, focusing on their calm presence and rhythmic breathing.
🧊 2. Sensory-Based Regulation Tools
Using your senses can help bring your brain back online during emotional dysregulation.
Try:
Holding an ice cube
Rubbing a soft blanket or petting your dog
Smelling lavender or peppermint oil
Listening to calming music or white noise
These are excellent emotional regulation techniques for children and teens—especially when paired with visual aids like emotion charts.
✍️ 3. Journaling and Expressive Writing
Writing helps externalize emotional experiences and promotes reflection instead of impulsive action.
Try prompts like:
“Right now I feel…”
“What do I need most?”
“I wish I could say…”
This technique is great for teens and adults navigating anxiety or anger. Even young children can draw their feelings as part of regulation practice.
🫂 4. Co-Regulation with a Supportive Person (or Pet!)
Sometimes we regulate best in the presence of someone calm and grounded. If you’re struggling to manage big emotions, reach out to a friend, therapist, or even your pet.
Cuddling, walking, or simply sitting beside a calm presence can downshift your nervous system and help you return to center.
This is one of the reasons we include therapy dogs in sessions at AACI. Their steady, unspoken presence creates an emotionally safe space to feel and process.
🧠 5. Thought Reframing and Cognitive Strategies
Thoughts often fuel emotional intensity. By learning to notice and shift unhelpful thought patterns, you can reduce the overwhelm.
Try this:
Identify the unhelpful thought (“I’ll never get this right”)
Replace with a more balanced thought (“This is hard, but I’m learning.”)
These techniques are used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and are highly effective when practiced consistently.
💬 Helping Kids and Teens with Emotional Regulation
Children and teens are still learning how to process big feelings. At AACI, we work closely with young clients to help them name, understand, and manage their emotions using:
Animal-assisted play
Visual emotional thermometers
Grounding games and tools
Collaborative problem-solving
🐾 You Don’t Have to Regulate Alone
Learning emotional regulation techniques is a journey—and it’s one we’re honored to walk with you.
At Animal Assisted Counseling of Indiana, we support individuals, teens, and families with:
Therapy for anxiety, trauma, grief, and overwhelm
Tools to build emotional resilience
The healing presence of trained therapy dogs
📍 Located in Munster, Indiana
🗓️Contact Us
🎯 Pick-Me-Up Tuesday Task:
Pick one emotional regulation technique from this blog and practice it today. Notice how your body and thoughts respond. Share it with someone you care about—and remember, emotional regulation is a practice, not a perfection.