How An Autistic Person Can Manage Their Emotions Better

Emotions can be difficult to navigate for all people.For people with autism, it goes from difficult to very challenging.Support for autism should involve how an autistic person can manage their emotions better.An autistic person can manage their emotions better by avoiding triggers.People with autism can have a strong reaction to certain stimulation.It would be helpful to note these factors and actively avoid them.Typically, before an emotional disruption, there is a build-up of emotions.People with autism might struggle to recognize their emotions before and during the outbursts.An autistic person can manage their emotions better after learning to recognize them.Communication is a very challenging skill for people with autism.Yet one of the ways people with autism can manage their emotions better is by articulating their emotions.Fortunately, people with autism can learn to express themselves better.Find out ways an autistic person can manage their emotions better below:

By Avoiding Triggers

People with autism might struggle when certain factors occur.Overstimulation from any source could cause a natural response to an emotional outburst.An autistic person can manage their emotions better when they avoid triggers that cause emotional outbursts.Autistic people are more sensitive toward their primary sensory organs.Places with loud noises, bright and flashy lights, and lots of smells lead to emotional outbursts from an autistic people.This might mean avoiding certain restaurants and parties.Each autistic person is likely to have more specific triggers.It would be helpful to note things that cause emotional outbursts and avoid them.However, some of these circumstances are inevitable.Particularly in the case of children, it is vital to manage triggers.Sometimes it is possible to predict an emotional meltdown based on triggers.When you can predict the meltdown, you also know how to avoid the trigger.However, some triggers are inevitable.‍

By Recognizing Their Emotions

Emotional outbursts can arise from high frustration and stress levels, social challenges, and other difficulties.The common response to these emotions is to regulate them before they lead to an outburst.However, an autistic person might struggle altogether with identifying their emotions.Although emotional outbursts might appear from nowhere, an autistic person might have been stressed without being aware of it.At the point where some autistic people learn about their emotions, it might be too intense to control.It would be helpful for an autistic person to learn to recognize the emotion they are feeling.Emotions come from body signals in the brain.An autistic person can manage their emotions better after learning to recognize the signs they are upset.These signs could include noticing changes in breathing and muscles becoming tense.The people around an autistic person such as family can also help an autistic person identify their feelings.This can be done by expressing particular feelings such as 'I understand you are frustrated with the food.'This might cause an autistic person to be aware they are frustrated and help them decide how to resolve the frustration.

By Articulating Their Feelings

An autistic person might struggle to communicate their feelings to other people.People with autism might not be aware they are throwing a tantrum because they can't communicate their feelings.This is why learning to articulate their emotions helps autistic people manage their emotions better.An autistic person can be taught to understand and communicate emotions.Learning might involve using visual cues such as flashcards or drawings.Basically, communication skills can come from practice.Reflecting on why there was an emotional disruption and other ways of expressing their emotions.You might encounter challenges teaching how to communicate emotions, but it is important to remain calm when learning.Once an autistic person can learn to communicate their emotions, they will be in better control of their emotions.It would be helpful for an autistic person to learn to articulate their emotions.Some autistic people use their outbursts to communicate in some way.With more options on how to express themselves, an autistic person can manage their emotions better.

Changing Their Environment

People with autism have strong reactions to their environment.The source of an emotional outburst may be the environment.A simple way an autistic person can manage their emotions better is to change the environment.On the spectrum of autism, people typically can easily get sensory overloads that lead to emotional outbursts.It might be difficult to pick out the exact cause of the sensory overload or even to change the cause.It might be helpful to change the environment.A change of scenario might be helpful during an extreme emotional reaction.You could consider a serene location that brings soothing and calmness.Although gardening is a good choice for a change of environment, a quiet corner might also be effective for this purpose.However, where an environment is a place of residence, it is important to tailor the environment an autistic person will spend most of their time suitable for them.This might require various adjustments to the design of the home.

Using Calming Sequences

Calming sequences or coping mechanisms are essentially effective strategies to regain emotional composure.It could either be developed innately or taught.One of the ways an autistic person can manage their emotions better is through the use of calming sequences or coping mechanisms.In spite of attempts to prevent extreme emotional reactions, emotional outbursts might be inevitable.At this point, it would be helpful to have methods to regulate emotional reactions. The most appropriate reaction will usually rely on an emotional outburst.In the same fashion, people with autism can have similar triggers, and they may also share similar techniques to deal with emotional outbursts.This could include the use of sensory toys such as a squeeze ball.It would be helpful to research techniques to calm autistic people.It is important to have a variety of calming sequences.Sometimes, one technique or toy might be unavailable or ineffective at a certain point.You can rely on alternative coping mechanisms.

Conclusion

Managing strong emotional reactions can be difficult for people with autism.Recognizing the importance of managing extreme emotional reactions, therapy for autism might focus on how to manage extreme reactions.An autistic person can manage their emotions better through methods such as avoiding triggers, recognizing their emotions, articulating their emotions, changing their environment, and using calming sequences.

Resources

https://autismlittlelearners.com/self-regulation-of-emotions/

https://sparkforautism.org/discover_article/managing-emotions/#:~:text=Researchers%20are%20studying%20therapies%20to,self%2Dawareness%20and%20relaxation%20techniques.

https://www.amaze.org.au/support/resources/emotional-regulation-tips-for-autistic-teens/

https://www.verywellhealth.com/helping-children-with-autism-handle-emotions-260146

https://onlinegrad.pepperdine.edu/blog/emotional-self-regulation-children-autism/