Once you become aware that your state is off, pulling yourself back in a timely manner is an extremely important principle in psychology. Any emotion that is not promptly acknowledged will amplify along its original trajectory, ultimately forming a deeper emotional vortex. Many people fall deeper and deeper not because the problem itself is severe, but because in the initial stage of abnormality, they choose to ignore, suppress, or delay.

From a psychological perspective, the essence of imbalance is not a sudden collapse, but a gradual deviation of the internal system. You might suddenly become sensitive, irritable, exhausted, unmotivated, and not want to do anything or face life. But behind these appearances lies a common mechanism: your nervous system is being pulled by external influences, disconnecting from your true needs. You are no longer in self-control but driven by emotions, which is the very beginning of psychological disorder.

The reason why self-rescue is necessary at this stage is because psychological issues follow a clear pattern: the earlier they are addressed, the easier they are to reverse; the later they are addressed, the more likely they are to solidify into patterns. Suppressed grievances can turn into irritability, ignored fatigue can develop into burnout, and avoided relationship issues can gradually embed into personality structure. Ignoring problems does not make them disappear; it only allows the loss of control to continue developing. Timely self-rescue is not pretentious but a protection of the integrity of the psychological system.

A truly effective self-rescue path can start with three psychological actions.

First, transfer emotions from the body into words. When you can say “I’m feeling a bit anxious now,” “I feel uneasy,” or “I’ve been triggered,” you have already begun to regain control of your emotions. This is not complaining but awareness. Awareness itself is the most effective intervention for chaos; it allows emotions to move from a state of losing control to a level that can be understood and regulated.

Second, immediately engage in self-regulation behaviors that stabilize the system. Change your environment, take deep breaths, go for a walk, do some simple physical movements like stretching or rubbing your hands, or temporarily leave the emotional trigger. When the body’s state stabilizes, the brain can regain judgment. This is the starting point of self-rescue, not the end.

Third, give yourself a clear and specific small decision. Not to solve the problem immediately, but to allow the internal system to regain control. For example, decide to rest for ten minutes, not respond to disputes tonight, eat a meal first, and deal with the problem tomorrow. The significance of these small decisions is to help the mind return from chaos to order. What truly defeats a person is not the problem itself but the ongoing sense of helplessness. The small decisions bring a sense of control and restart.

Truly mature people are not those who never collapse but those who can pull themselves back in the early stages of sensing something is wrong. Emotional outbursts are not inherently frightening; what’s frightening is letting them go out of control for a long time. There is a classic saying in psychology: Emotions are not your enemies; dullness is. Being able to notice is the beginning of strength; being able to self-rescue is a sign of maturity; being able to recover is the true starting point of mental resilience.