Emotional Literacy

When thoughts and emotions brew in our heads and bodies, we feel a vague sensation, at times an uncomfortable feeling, but we can’t always extricate thoughts from feelings. And if we can’t identify the thoughts that create the feelings, we can’t do much about them. We are therefore likely to be overwhelmed by our emotions and react impulsively, which often gets us in trouble.

A starting point would be to practice naming your emotions as they pass through you. Like saying to yourself, ”I’m really angry right now”, or “this actually makes me sad”…

We are using psychologist Dan Siegel’s “name it to tame it” technique. It works by bringing our thinking brain (the frontal cortex, that has the ability to listen, learn, take perspective, even use humour) in service of our feeling brain (the limbic system, that assesses threats and danger). Validating ourselves calms us down.

Deciphering our entangled thoughts from feelings, and labelling our emotions correctly isn’t easy. It takes time and patience, as any practice.

The reward is increased emotional awareness and better control of your triggers. That’s the path to better relationships with yourself and others. Worth it, isn't it?

Photo by Orkun Azap on Unsplash