When feelings don’t fit inside me – Living with emotional dysregulation

I don’t just feel things.
I absorb them.
I become them.
A small comment can ruin my day.
A sudden shift in tone can make my chest ache.
Joy feels euphoric. Shame feels unbearable. Sadness feels infinite.

That’s emotional dysregulation.

It’s not “overreacting.”
It’s not “being dramatic.”
It’s a nervous system that doesn’t regulate feelings the way people expect it to.
It means emotions arrive suddenly, powerfully, and sometimes without a clear reason —
and once they’re here, they don’t leave easily.

For me, it looks like:

• Tears I can’t hold back

• Panic triggered by minor change

• Anger that feels like electricity in my body

• Joy that makes me talk too fast and feel too much

• A single word echoing for hours in my mind

And often — it comes with shame.
Because people don’t see the storm.
They see the reaction.
And they label it as “too much.”

The truth is: I feel deeply because I’m wired differently.
And I’ve spent years trying to shrink myself.
Trying to “calm down,” “be normal,” “get over it.”
But emotional regulation isn’t about suppressing feelings.
It’s about creating space for them —
and slowly learning how to ride the wave without drowning.

What helps me is:

• Naming what I’m feeling without judgment

• Noticing the sensations in my body

• Using visuals or grounding tools when I’m overwhelmed

• Taking space when I need to — not to avoid, but to self-protect

• Gently reminding myself: This feeling will pass

If you feel like your emotions control you sometimes —
please know:
You’re not too much.
You’re not broken.
You’re just someone who feels honestly, intensely, and loudly.

And that’s not a flaw.
That’s humanity, in its most raw form.