My Intense Emotions Handbook: Manage Your Emotions and Connect Better with Others

When Emotions Feel Too Big to Carry

Some people feel everything at full volume. Joy, anger, sadness, fear, excitement—each one arrives quickly and can seem to take over. My Intense Emotions Handbook speaks directly to that experience. It is written for young people who feel things intensely, and for the adults, carers, and professionals who want to support them without dismissing or minimising what they feel.

Instead of offering a single fix, the book explains why intense emotions happen and then builds a toolkit of practical responses. The tone is calm and respectful. It treats big feelings as understandable, not as something to be ashamed of.

What the Handbook Explores

The book is arranged in four parts, moving from understanding to action.

• Understanding emotions and relationships: chapters explore what emotions are, why some people feel them more strongly, how the brain responds, and how early attachment and relationships shape the way we manage feelings.
• Skills for intense emotions: practical ideas include getting the basics right, self-soothing, riding out emotional waves, coping in a crisis, and finding a steadier, wiser perspective.
• Skills for relationships: readers learn about understanding the minds of others, saying no, and being assertive without damaging connection.
• Putting it together: later chapters focus on getting extra help and building a personal self-care plan, with appendices that include a formulation template and a brief guide to medication.

Approaches Behind the Pages

The strategies draw on established therapeutic ideas, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), mindfulness, mentalisation, compassion-focused approaches, and attachment theory. The authors do not present these as jargon-heavy clinical concepts. They translate them into language that makes sense for everyday life—what to do when your body is overwhelmed, how to notice a thought without being ruled by it, and how to stay connected to people while still protecting your own boundaries.

Who May Find It Useful

The handbook is likely to be helpful for adolescents and young adults who experience intense emotions, especially those dealing with anxiety, neurodiversity, relationship difficulties, or overwhelming stress. It may also be valuable for parents, carers, teachers, counsellors, and youth workers who want a shared language for talking about emotional regulation. Because the book includes both explanations and practical activities, it can be read straight through or dipped into when a particular chapter is needed.

A Gentle, Practical Companion

With a foreword by Kim S. Golding and illustrations by Emmeline Pidgen, My Intense Emotions Handbook balances information with warmth. It does not promise that difficult feelings will disappear. Instead, it offers understanding, skills, and permission to find what works for you. For anyone who has ever felt ruled by their emotions—or watched someone they care about struggle—this is a thoughtful and useful handbook to keep close.