22 Feb Understanding the Window of Tolerance: A Guide to Managing Your Emotions
The Window of Tolerance
The “window of tolerance” is a concept used in the field of neuroscience to refer to the range of arousal in which a person is able to effectively process and respond to stimuli in a healthy and adaptive way.
The concept was developed by Dan Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, and a pioneer in the field of interpersonal neurobiology. Dr. Siegel first introduced the concept in his book “The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are” (1999).
The window can be thought of as a “zone” of optimal functioning, within which we are able to regulate our emotions, maintain focus, and engage in appropriate behaviours. It can be likened to a window in our brain that helps us to feel calm and in control.
When the window is open, we can think clearly and make good choices. When the window is closed, we might feel either very upset or ‘checked out’, making it hard to think straight.
This infographic from the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behaviorial Medicine website: provides a visual overview of the model and the experiences of being in hyper arousal and hypo arousal:
Falling Out of The Window
When our level of arousal falls outside of the window, it can result in a state of hyper- or hypo-arousal.
Hyper-arousal can be likened to being excessively ON, and can manifest with symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and agitation.
Conversely, Hypo-arousal can be likened to being excessively OFF, and can manifest with symptoms such as apathy, depression, and dissociation.
Imagine you’re playing a video game, and there’s a bar on the screen that shows how much energy your character has. When the bar is in the middle, your character can run, jump, and fight without getting too tired. But if the bar goes too low, your character starts to get sluggish and can’t run or jump anymore, and if the bar goes too high, your character gets overexcited and starts making mistakes.
Influencing The Window of Tolerance
Our window of tolerance can be influenced by a variety of factors, including past experiences, genetic predispositions, and current stressors and life circumstances.
Unfortunately trauma (both capital ‘T’ and lower case ‘t’) and chronic stress can cause the window of tolerance to shrink, again making it more difficult for us to regulate our emotions.
On the positive side, interventions such as mindfulness, therapy, and body-based therapies and tools, have been shown to be effective in helping people to expand their window of tolerance, allowing them to better regulate their emotions and respond to a healthy way.
It can be useful to learn to notice when the window is closed or closing, and to think about strategies to support ourselves in re-opening it.
It is also worth bearing in mind, that the Window of Tolerance is a fluid model, and it will be unique to each of us, and will also change over time based on our life experiences, interventions and other factors.
Strategies for expanding YOUR window
There are several strategies that have been shown to be effective in expanding our general window of tolerance, including:
1. Mindfulness: cultivating the ability to pay attention to present-moment experiences with curiosity and non-judgment, helping to better regulate emotional responses
2. Body-based therapies and Mindful movement: such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong, can help to regulate the nervous system and improve the body’s ability to cope with stress.
3. Trauma-focused therapy: can help people to process and integrate traumatic experiences
4. Mind-body practices: such as meditation, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation can help to reduce stress and improve the ability to regulate emotions.
5. Social support: having a supportive network of friends and family can also help to expand our window of tolerance.
The best approach will depend on the individual, and it can be useful to try some out and see what works best for you and your lifestyle.
The best tools are those that you will actually use!
It can also be useful to set the bar low and make goals highly achievable. For example, committing to 60 seconds meditation every day, rather than going straight in for 10 minutes. Over the course of a month you will still have meditated for 30 minutes!
The above practices can be useful for general self-care and for helping to expand your window of tolerance in the long term.
Practical Tips for Regulating Your Window of Tolerance in Daily Life
The model can also be used to help us regulate ourselves in the moment, when we notice that we have left the window of tolerance.
The tools that are likely to be most effective, will depend on whether we are in hyper-arousal (we are overwhelmed and the volcano is about to erupted) or hypo-arousal (where we are numbed out, frozen and checked out).
BECOMING AWARE OF Hyper arousal
A hyper-aroused state is a state of heightened emotional and physiological arousal. You may experience symptoms such as:
1. Increased heart rate and blood pressure: which can trigger the body’s fight or flight response
2. Anxiety and agitation: causing feelings of nervousness, worry and unease.
3. Irritability and anger: making you more reactive, prone to anger, and frustration.
4. Difficulty concentrating: making it challenging to focus and concentrate on tasks.
5. Difficulty sleeping: causing insomnia, or difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
6. Increased muscle tension: making it difficult to relax.
7. Hyper-vigilance: causing you to be more on guard and more easily startled.
8. Avoidance of certain situations or triggers: causing you to avoid certain situations or triggers that may have been associated with previous trauma or stress.
BECOMING AWARE OF Hypo arousal
By contrast, a hypo-aroused state is a state of decreased emotional and physiological arousal. Symptoms that you may experience or notice include:
1. Low energy levels: causing you to feel fatigued and have a lack of motivation.
2. Difficulty concentrating: making it challenging to focus and concentrate on tasks.
3. Apathy: experienced as indifference and disengagement from your surroundings.
4. Depression: including feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and helplessness.
5. Loss of interest in activities: including the activities you enjoyed in the past.
6. Difficulty sleeping: causing insomnia, or difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
7. Lack of emotional expression: including a flat affect, or lack of emotional expression.
8. Avoidance of certain situations or triggers: including avoiding certain situations or triggers that may have been associated with past trauma or stress.
Once you are able to start identifying whether you are hyper or hypo aroused it can be useful to have a set or list of strategies to implement to help reopen the window of tolerance.
This is something that I often work on with people in their therapy.
Strategies for when in hyper arousal
Here are some strategies that can help to bring the body and mind back into a state of balance when you notice you are feeling hyper aroused:
1. Deep breathing: Taking slow, deep breaths can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can calm the body and mind.
2. Progressive muscle relaxation: Tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups can help to release physical tension and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
3. Mindfulness: Focusing on the present moment and non-judgmentally observing thoughts and feelings can help to increase awareness and reduce the power of negative thoughts.
4. Grounding techniques: Grounding techniques such as the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise, where you focus on 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. This can help you to come back to the present moment and reduce feelings of anxiety.
5. Sensory input: Engaging in activities that provide a different type of sensory input can be helpful in calming the body, such as taking a warm shower, listening to calming music or nature sounds, or holding a comforting object.
6. Social support: Talking to a trusted friend or family member can also help to reduce feelings of anxiety and hyper-arousal.
It’s important to remember that when in a hyper-aroused state is hard to think clearly and make rational decisions, so it’s extremely useful to have a pre-planned list of strategies that can be used when needed.
Strategies for when in hypo arousal
Here are some strategies that might be worth trying out when you are feeling checked out and in hypo arousal:
1. Physical activity: Engaging in physical activity can help to increase energy levels and improve mood. This could include going for a walk, doing some star jumps or stretches or doing some housework.
2. Light therapy: Sitting near a light box or going outside for a walk during the day can help to regulate circadian rhythms and improve mood.
3. Mindfulness: Focusing on the present moment and non-judgmentally observing thoughts and feelings can help to increase awareness and reduce the power of negative thoughts.
4. Social interaction: Connecting with others can help to improve mood and increase motivation. Even though it might feel difficult, it is worth talking to someone you trust.
5. Sensory input: Engaging in activities that provide a different type of sensory input can be helpful in stimulating the body, such as listening to upbeat music, taking a cold shower, engaging in a creative activity, reading a book, drawing, juggling, or brushing your teeth with a strongly flavoured toothpaste.
Again, it’s important to remember that when in a hypo-aroused state is hard to think clearly and make rational decisions, so it’s extremely useful to have a pre-planned list of strategies that can be used when needed.
PRactical tips and tools - CRIB SHEET
I have created a crib sheet called: Window of Tolerance Practical Tips and Tools Worksheet which you are welcome to download, and use whenever you notice you have gone into hyper or hypo arousal, and are looking for a quick tip or tool to try out.
Download Window of Tolerance Practical Tips and Tools Worksheet
These tips are offered as invitations for you to explore, and to see what works for you personally in your day to day life.
If you are looking for more help with working with the Window of Tolerance and building your personalised toolbox, feel free to contact me now for a free 15 minute call.
Frances Bloomfield
Posted at 10:56h, 09 MarchThis is a really clear explanation of the window of tolerance and very helpful tips to manage hyper and hypo arousal. Will be invaluable to people struggling to manage especially if they haven’t been able to understand what is happening.