A new study published in the academic journal Canadian Psychology attempts to define an important concept in clinical psychology: emotion disorder. They suggest that emotion disorder is at the heart of many psychological disorders.

"Emotion disorder is a construct that has only recently begun to be studied in the context of mental health, despite the fact that emotions play such a large role in our daily lives," Arela Agako, a psychologist at McMaster University in Forbes, told Forbes. Canada and lead author of the research. "We were interested in learning what emotion disorder really is, in order to study it better."

They found that past research on emotion disorder combines around five broad themes: brain activation, physiology, cognition, behavior, and individual experience. Understanding how emotions are felt and processed can help researchers and physicians diagnose and treat emotional problems. According to researchers, not regulating emotions becomes problematic when it causes great anxiety or begins to interfere with one’s ability to cope with daily responsibilities.

The authors offer some tips for people struggling to keep their emotions in check. For example, they suggest:

1. Find time for emotion, preferably in a cozy environment where you can spend a few minutes without interruption.

2. Notice exactly how the emotion feels in your body.

3. Try to name it.

4. Reflect if the emotion was justified.

5. If it is justified, ask yourself what emotion tells you what you need at that moment. If not, ask yourself if there is another way to think about the situation.

"If you are still struggling with emotions or are still engaging in useless behaviors after these steps, then you should seek help from mental health professionals," says Agako.