Am I Doing It Wrong? Tips and Tricks for Managing our Emotions
Mar 5, 2026
Dr. Ryan Martin, psychologist and professor nicknamed the 'anger professor' and author of Emotional Hacks, shares practical emotion regulation strategies. He explains why small, repeatable hacks often help more than big life changes. Topics include stimulus control, mood and grounding routines, interpretation shifts, building a personal hack pack, and when hacks need to be paired with therapy.
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Use Mantras To Focus And Reframe
- Try using a focused mantra to redirect attention and change the story you tell yourself.
- Martin cites research where repeating a neutral word improved focus and argues empowering phrases reshape interpretations (he uses "do the next right thing").
Control Your Inputs To Shape Feelings
- Stimulus hacks change what you invite into your life and how you engage with it.
- Examples include limiting horror movies, news consumption, setting boundaries for family gatherings, and planning escapes or distractions.
Pick Focused Distractions Not Numbing Ones
- Do use healthy distractions that give focused attention rather than numbing (call a friend, watch motivating clips, color).
- Martin mentions adult coloring, saved YouTube clips, and birdwatching as distractions that boost benefits by focusing the mind.
