Emotional Self-Regulation: Balancing Emotions Using a Simple Scale System

Life is full of challenges, and it is easy to get caught up in negative emotional states when things don’t go according to plan. Whether it’s losing a job, going through a breakup, or facing a health crisis, these experiences can be emotionally draining and leave us feeling overwhelmed. But, our experiences and our learned or innate interpretation and response to them are within our control. It’s not the situation itself that determines our emotional state but rather our interpretation and response to it. This means that we have the power to change how we feel about a situation and how we respond to it.

When we spend more time and energy feeling bad, we are essentially putting ourselves in a negative feedback loop. Our negative emotions can cloud our judgment, making it harder for us to see the situation objectively and come up with a solution. But, if we learn to manage our emotions and develop a more positive mindset, we can break this cycle and improve our overall well-being. This means being mindful of our thoughts and emotions and consciously choosing to interpret situations in a more positive way. For example, instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of a job loss, we can focus on the opportunities it presents, such as the chance to explore new career paths or take a break and pursue a passion project. By reframing the situation in a positive light, we can shift our mindset and take control of our emotions.

Managing our emotions is crucial if we want to maintain a healthy and balanced life. Our emotions are a result of the chemical reactions in our brain. When we experience something positive, our brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. On the other hand, negative experiences can lead to the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that can leave us feeling anxious or depressed. 

By tracking the intensity of our emotions on a numeric scale, we can better understand how these chemicals affect us and take steps to manage them. One way to do this is by using the Jawhary Emotional Scale recently developed by Henry Jawhary in 2023. This simple system tracks the intensity of our good versus bad feelings or emotional states on a numeric scale of +10 to -10. 

The Jawhary Emotional Scale is a system for tracking and managing one’s emotions in order to maintain a healthy and balanced life. It involves tracking the intensity of both positive and negative emotions on a numeric scale of +10 to -10, with the emotional state calculated by subtracting the negative emotions score from the positive emotions score. The goal is to improve one’s emotional range and strive towards a more balanced emotional state. 

By monitoring and managing emotions through the Jawhary Emotional Scale, individuals can develop greater self-awareness, resilience, and overall emotional well-being. If our range of emotions is between +2 (when things are good) and -8 (when things are bad), we should strive to improve our range to a more balanced one on either side. 

Here is an updated version of the daily chart that reflects this:

In this updated chart, you can rate the intensity of your bad feelings on a scale from -1 to -10, with -1 being a mild negative feeling and -10 being an extremely intense negative feeling. The emotional state can be calculated by subtracting the bad feelings score from the good feelings score, which will result in a score between -10 to +10.

Here’s an example of how to fill out the updated chart:

You can use this to track emotional states throughout the day and not just once per day. The method of use can vary depending on the time and effort available to monitor and record emotional states as well as the objective of using this system. The real benefit of this system is in the graphical illustration below which will show you how you react emotionally to stressors such as problems and challenges that can befall us in our daily lives. The concern highlighted in the graph is that there are many who have far too few heightened positive emotional states while there are many or more extremely negative emotional states.

Many people also have baselines that are either close to zero or even negative. In the graph below, the mean emotional state is less than 2. The top of the range is 3 while the lowest score is a negative 8. If this were to be what someone’s ongoing graphical chart, it would be easy to see the experiential quality of their life.

Tracking our emotions can help us become more self-aware. It allows us to identify patterns in our emotional responses and recognize triggers that might cause negative emotions. By becoming more self-aware, we can learn to control our emotions better and respond to situations in a more balanced and rational way. By keeping our emotional range within a healthy balance, we can achieve a sense of inner peace and contentment that comes from living a life in harmony with our values and beliefs.

There are many techniques for managing emotions to reduce the negative burden on the numeric scale, as well as increasing the score for positive emotional states. First, we need to become more aware of our emotional responses. By doing this, we can identify patterns and triggers that might be causing negative emotions and take steps to manage them. It also helps to develop healthy coping mechanisms. This could include exercise, meditation, or talking to a trusted friend or therapist. With these healthy coping mechanisms, we can better manage our emotions when we are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. A positive mindset also helps to keep our emotional score on the plus side. This means focusing on the good things in our lives and finding ways to appreciate them. By doing this, we can improve our overall emotional well-being and develop a more positive outlook on life.

Techniques such as increasing mindfulness and building emotional intelligence are important aspects of emotional self-regulation. Mindfulness involves being present and aware of one’s thoughts and emotions without judgment. By cultivating mindfulness, individuals can become more aware of their emotional states and develop a greater capacity for emotional regulation. 

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. By developing emotional intelligence, individuals can improve their ability to regulate their emotions effectively and build stronger relationships with others. There is plenty of literature online for enhancing either of these. The main point is that you want to reduce the intensity of negative emotional states and increase intensity of positive ones, all while monitoring your ongoing emotional state on the scale.