You explode

Your emotions come out all at once and intensely, especially anger. Afterwards you often regret what you said or did, and the people around you walk on eggshells.

Recommendations

✓Learn your warning signs: heat, tension, a racing heart.
✓When you notice them, take a time-out of at least 20 minutes.
✓Talk about the issue once you're calm; that's when you'll be heard.

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About this test

We all feel anger, sadness and anxiety. What makes the difference is what we do with those emotions once they show up.

Answer according to what you usually do, not what you know you 'should' do.

Emotion regulation strategies

Psychologist James Gross has studied how we manage our emotions. Strategies such as reappraisal (looking at a situation from another angle) and acceptance tend to protect mental health, while habitual suppression, rumination and avoidance are linked to more stress, anxiety and low mood.

Exploding isn't the same as expressing: venting with aggression usually increases anger. The good news is that regulation is a skill, and it can be trained, for example with therapies such as CBT or DBT.