The Window of Tolerance is a great tool that may be introduced to you by a counsellor or within a mental health context.

This tool supports clients to recognise where they feel they may be by looking at the different zones and seeing which feelings align with which zone. It is important to note that anyone can be in one zone or another at any time due to the fact that some experiences may be more dysregulating than others, e.g. meeting a friend for a coffee vs. having an interview with five panel members. The Window of Tolerance is a tool that supports you to know when you aren't feeling safe or emotionally regulated, which zone you may be in and what experiences may be causing you to be in an emotionally dysregulated zone.

At a glance, the tool reflects the following zones:
The Window of Tolerance (optimal/safe zone), "Everything is okay, I am in control and I feel safe. I can cope well with things that are currently happening in my life."
Hyper arousal, "I am not okay, I don't feel like I have any control and I don't feel safe - I feel anxious and want to run away. I am not coping well with [some] things that are currently happening in my life."
Hypo arousal, "I am not okay and I don't feel anything really - I want to sleep a lot and I struggle to motivate myself to do most things. I don't know how well I am coping with [some] things because I feel numb to things that are currently happening in my life."

Being in any zone that is not the optimal/safe zone can feel very challenging and working with a counsellor can support you to understand why you enter hyper- or hypo arousal and what tools or techniques could be useful to support you not only to return to the optimal/safe zone but to expand it.