Emotional flooding is the experience of being overwhelmed when strong emotions take over, producing an influx of physiological sensations, an increase of the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, often resulting in difficulty accessing our resources for calming down.
Emotional flooding often leads a person to feeling overwhelmed and under skilled with the abilities to manage their present feelings.
Emotional flooding often precipitates stonewalling.
Signs of emotional flooding include:
- An onset and increase of stress.
- Feelings of anger.
- Conflicting information causing confusion.
- Frustration and conflicting emotions.
- Sweaty palms, sweaty forehead.
- Tense muscles and agitation.
- Itching and scratching.
- Increased heart rate (more on this below).
- Upset feeling or changes in the gut.
- Changes in breathing patterns.
- Changes in eyesight / focus.
- Limited thinking / reasoning ability.
These strategies, created by The Gottman Institute can help you get a clear understanding of what emotional flooding might look like in your relationship.
For assistance with managing emotional flooding,