Emotional Regulation
Explore responses that fit the situation.
Describe a pattern and prepare a flexible response plan with alternatives.
Part of the AURIS approach to identity, stability and human development.
- Applied
- £29.00
- 4 lessons
- Certificate on completion
- About 90 minutes
Notice patterns, consider possible triggers and try an optional response. Build a flexible plan that includes stopping or adapting a practice and seeking support when needed.
One-off purchase with lifetime course access. Sign in or create a free learner account to buy. Lessons open in order as you complete the required work, with no daily waiting period.
What you'll leave with
A record distinguishing feelings from interpretations, a personal cue and response plan, a reasoned choice to try or decline an exercise, and a flexible plan with alternatives, practical support and a review point. Fictional examples are welcome.
Watch the course introduction
Watch this before you begin
Regulation becomes easier to understand when it is connected to a real story rather than a diagram. Watch this conversation and notice the points where pressure, emotion and response separate. You are not looking for a perfect coping strategy; you are looking for the space in which a different response becomes possible.
£29.00 one-off payment, lifetime access
- 1. Sign in, or create a free account. It takes a name, an email address and a password.
- 2. Pay by card on the course page. The payment form is Stripe's own, so AURIS never sees or stores your card details.
- 3. The course opens straight away and stays in your library. There is no subscription and nothing renews.
A certificate is issued when you finish every lesson and pass the assessment.
Course illustration
Who this course is for
“How can I understand my reactions and choose a response that fits?”
For people exploring everyday emotional reactions and practical responses. Separate feelings from interpretations, notice a personal cue, choose or decline an exercise and build a flexible plan with alternatives and support. Use familiar or anonymised situations; personal disclosure and trying an exercise are not required.
Suggested learning pathways
Where this course fits
- Relevant pathways
- This course is relevant to more than one pathway. Take it from whichever describes your situation: Life and Role Change, Purpose and What Next, Family and Belonging.
- What usually comes before
- Most people take Identity Foundations before this one, though nothing here requires it.
- What usually comes next
- Building Purpose is next in the Life and Role Change pathway. Rebuilds direction that does not depend on a job title.
Also relevant to Purpose and What Next and Family and Belonging, because the same learning answers more than one question.
A pathway is a suggested order, not a requirement. Nothing here has to be bought to make this course work.
The pathways it belongs to
- Part of the Life and Role Change pathway: Changed career, made redundant or retired, and you still do not feel like yourself?
- Part of the Purpose and What Next pathway: Work gave you a purpose. What happens when it does not any more?
- Part of the Family and Belonging pathway: Everyone asks how they are. Who asks how you are?
A pathway is a suggested order, not a requirement. This course can be taken on its own.
About this course and why it matters
About this course
Notice patterns, consider possible triggers and try an optional response. Build a flexible plan that includes stopping or adapting a practice and seeking support when needed.
Why this matters
A feeling or bodily signal does not have one universal meaning. The exercises encourage observation, choice and appropriate support.
What you will learn
- Separate an observable event, a feeling, bodily signs and an interpretation in a fictional example
- Describe a personal cue, choose a feasible response and include a stopping or support rule
- Choose, adapt or decline an option and review usefulness and discomfort separately
- Build a flexible plan with an alternative, practical support and a review point
Course curriculum · 4 lessons
Course curriculum
4 lessons. The lesson content itself opens once you start the course.
Lesson 1 · about 22 minutes
How Emotions Work
When someone interrupts you, you might notice anger, tension or a thought about what they meant. These are different parts of the experience. This lesson helps you separate the observable situation from your feeling and interpretation, then consider a response that fits the circumstances.
- Distinguish an observable event, a feeling, bodily signs and a possible interpretation in a fictional example.
- Choose a proportionate response and explain what remains uncertain about another person's intention.
Lesson 2 · about 22 minutes
Recognising Your Patterns
Recognising a change from someone's usual pattern can provide an opportunity to consider what they need. The aim is to describe a specific cue, consider the circumstances and choose a feasible response. A cue does not diagnose a problem, explain its cause or establish safety.
- Describe one personal cue in context and distinguish an observed association from a proven cause.
- Choose a feasible response and a stopping or support rule, while explaining the limits of a personal planning aid.
Lesson 3 · about 22 minutes
Choosing and testing regulation tools
An exercise can be useful, uncomfortable, both or neither. You can choose whether to try it, adapt it or decline it. This lesson helps you make that choice without treating an exercise as a requirement or assuming that it will help.
- Choose or decline one option in a fictional situation and explain why it fits or needs adapting.
- Review usefulness and discomfort separately, recognising when to stop and what remains uncertain.
Lesson 4 · about 24 minutes
Building a Flexible Regulation Plan
A plan needs to fit the circumstances in which it will be used. If a technique is unhelpful, you can review the response, practical conditions and available support. Repeating it more forcefully is not the only option. This lesson brings together noticing a cue, choosing or declining an option, reviewing its fit and planning what to do when circumstances change.
- Draft a flexible plan for a fictional pressure point, including a preferred response, alternative, practical support, stopping or help rule and review date.
- Explain how changed circumstances or an unhelpful response can lead to adapting the plan rather than demanding perfect self-management.
What is included
Some full lesson recordings need updating. The written lessons and exercises are available.
- Guided reflections
- Interactive exercises
- Practical activities
- Downloadable worksheets
- Assessment
- Portfolio work
- Certificate on completion
Before you start
None. This course can be taken on its own. Identity Foundations is optional preparation.
After you finish
After you finish
Review your plan when circumstances change. You can retain, adapt or decline an exercise and seek suitable support when needed. Building Purpose is a suggested next course in the Life and Role Change pathway; choose another course if it fits your needs better.
Common questions
How much does Emotional Regulation cost?
It is £29, paid once. You keep lifetime access to the course, including future research driven updates. There is no subscription or renewal.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes. Complete every lesson and pass the required assessment to receive an AURIS Certificate of Completion in your name. It records your learning. The separate Practitioner Certification is an internal AURIS programme; neither certificate is an externally accredited qualification or a clinical licence to practise.
How long does it take, and is it self-paced?
Study at your own pace. Lessons open in sequence after you complete the previous lesson; there is no daily waiting period for this course, and the course is designed to take about 90 minutes in total.
What work do I need to complete?
Lessons include practical activities and saved reflections. Some courses also require portfolio entries and an assessment; the lesson and assessment pages identify required work. Use familiar or anonymised situations where appropriate and avoid identifying details. Reading or listening alone does not complete a lesson.
Do I need to do anything before this course?
None. This course can be taken on its own. Identity Foundations is optional preparation.
Next steps and related courses
Course progression
- Foundation
- Applied
- Practitioner
AURIS CORE 4 of 7. Dedicated regulation skills and practice.
Related courses
Suggested preparation
Identity Foundations
Course detailsSuggested next course
Building Purpose
Course details
Evidence, sources and limitations
Research and evidence
Emotion-regulation umbrella review: Saccaro et al., Journal of Psychiatric Research (2024), PMID 38677089, DOI 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.04.025. Cross-cultural meta-analysis: Chen et al., Nature Human Behaviour (2025), PMID 40234629. Strategy-efficacy meta-analysis: Reents et al., Clinical Psychology Review (2026), PMID 41797239. AURIS teaches non-clinical self-regulation and does not present one strategy as universally effective.
The evidence behind this course
Evidence
Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects — Gross, 2015 (Read source)
Emotion regulation is a set of processes and strategies rather than a fixed temperament.
Systematic review of slow breathing — Zaccaro and colleagues, 2018 (Read source)
Slow breathing is associated with short-term physiological changes relevant to arousal regulation.
How AURIS interprets it
- AURIS treats regulation as trainable practice and distinguishes short-term regulation tools from cures or guarantees.
What you do with it
- Describe a pattern and prepare a flexible response plan with alternatives.
- Use ordinary or fictional examples. The exercise does not establish a diagnosis, cause or practitioner competence.
Ready to begin?
£29.00 one-off payment, with lifetime access to the course.