Emotion regulation and the COVID-19 pandemic: a practical guide to rehabilitating children and adolescents.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a global mental health crisis, contributing to the appearance of psychiatric symptoms and the worsening of existing mental health conditions among children and adolescents. Social distancing measures, school clo-sures, elevated stress in the home environment, eco-nomic recession, and increased screen time may have impacted the development of youth and contributed to a worsening of their emotion regulation (ER) skills. 1 Thus, there is a growing need for evidence-based practices and strategies to guide clinicians in dealing with emerging demands.Although life is slowly returning to normal, it is important to carefully consider last year’s toll on mental health and its possible short- and long-term ramifications; evidence has been accumulating about long-term COVID-19 symptoms in youth, such as fatigue and brain fog. In addition, increasing social anxiety, which been fueled by the large amount of time in home schooling and away from peers, is one of the burdens that have been overwhelming families, schools, and clinicians alike. 2 ER strategies enable individuals to reason with and about emotions, regulating their intensity and frequency. These strategies affect one’s awareness of and ability to express emotions, as well as to handle interpersonal relationships wisely. Young people with higher levels of psychological distress show heightened difficulties in reading non-verbal cues, which translates into difficulties in understanding the emotions of oneself and others, leading into social, functional, and academic difficulties. Thus, appraising a patient’s ER skills is an essential part of a comprehensive mental health assessment. ER skills provide individuals with the means to better understand and communicate feelings and needs, improving their overall functioning. ER strategies can be taught by