The Window of Tolerance
Originating within the somatic experiencing therapeutic approach developed by Dr. Dan Siegel, the "window of tolerance" helps explain emotional regulation. It often is used to help mental health clients understand their reactions to trauma and how to work towards symptom management.
In summary, the window of tolerance is a way of describing when we are able and unable to tolerate normal, daily experiences. It helps you answer the question, "how much daily adversity can I tolerate?"
A quick Google image search will bring up many examples of the window of tolerance. Here is one depiction of it:
"The Window of Tolerance" from The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine
"Hyperarousal" is also known as the "fight/flight" response, and "hypoarousal" is also known as the "freeze" response.
As you can imagine, those struggling with trauma are struggling because their window of tolerance has become smaller, and so they are easily pushed into states of hyper- or hypo-arousal (fight, flight, or freeze).
Trauma is not the only cause of a shrunken window of tolerance - isolation and other forms of adversity can shrink our windows, too.
Moving Back Into Your Window of Tolerance
When we are outside of our window of tolerance, there are ways we can move back into our window.
Coregulation
Have you ever noticed that just being around a calm person can help you feel calm, too? This phenomena is a result of what is known as "coregulation." Coregulation is when the presence of a more regulated nervous system of one person helps to regulate the nervous system of another person. This can even occur between species - spending time with a relaxed pet can help calm you via coregulation. Coregulation is another way to move back into your window of tolerance.
Videos About The Window of Tolerance
Here are some great videos explaining the window of tolerance: