Emotional
regulation
strategy
Surprise
How to practice surprise
To u s e s u r p r i s e a s a n e m o t i o n a l m a n a g e m e n t t e c h n i q u e , yo u m u s t :
 h a ve a p o s i t i ve vi e w o n u n e xp e c te d e ve n t s .
 A c c e p t t h e i d e a t h a t s u r p r i s e s c a n p r e s e n t c h a n c e s f o r d e ve l o p me n t
a n d e xc i t e m e n t .
 C e l e b r a t e s m a l l a c h i e ve m e n t s a n d p l e a s a n t s u r p r i s e s i n yo u r d a y - t o d a y e xi s t e n c e .
 Make it a practice to be grateful for surprises of all sizes .
Researched benefits of
implementing the strategy
T h e e m o t i o n a l c o n t r o l t a c t i c o f " s u r p r i s e " m a y n o t h a ve b e e n a n a r e a o f
m u c h r e s e a r c h , b u t t h e l a r g e r i d e a s a r o u n d g o o d e m o t i o n s a n d f l e xi b i l i t y
m i g h t p r o vi d e a vi e w o f p o s s i b l e a d va n t a g e s .
 According to research, having a positive outlook and feeling happy has
advantages for a person's overall health.
 Mixing happy experiences into daily life might help lower stress levels and build
e m o t i o n a l r e s i l i e n c e , a c c o r d i n g t o s t u d i e s o n p o s i t i v e p s y c h o l o g y.
 Resilience is influenced by the ability to adjust and look for the good in
unexpected situations.
 Social relationships can be strengthened by telling others about unexpected
events.
Challenges and limitations to
the strategy
Al t h o ugh t h e re m a y b e a d va n t age s t o t h e t e c hn iq ue o f i n t r od uci ng
s u r p ri se i n t o e m o t io nal c o n tro l, t h e r e a r e d i s a dva nta ges a n d l i m i t a tion s
a s we l l .
 I n d i vi d ual s r a n g e i n t h e i r p r e f e r e n c e s a n d l e ve l s o f s h o c k s e n s i t i vi t y.
A c c e p t i n g s u r p r i s e i n vo l ve s a c e r t a i n a m o u n t o f u n p r e d i c ta b l e n a t u r e , a n d
n o t e ve r yo n e i s c o mf o r t a b l e wi t h u n c e r t a i n t y. S o , wh a t o n e p e r s o n f i n d s
e xc i t i n g a n d p l e a s a n t m a y b e u n c o mf o r t a b l e o r s t r e s s f u l f o r a n o t h e r.
 N e g a t i ve s u r p r i s e s c a n b e u p s e t t i n g a n d c a n c a u s e a n xi e t y a n d s t r e ss t o
d e ve l o p .
 O ve r s t i m u l a t i o n m a y r e s u l t f r o m b e i n g r e l i a n t o n u n p r e d i c t a b i l i t y o r f r o m
c o n s t a n t e xp o s u r e t o s u r p r i s e s .
Thank you