Naming what you feel

Short Reads · 3 min

Why putting a word to a feeling makes it lighter

When a feeling has no name, it fills the whole room. You just feel "bad", and everything looks heavy.

Naming it shrinks it to its real size. "I'm disappointed about the job" is something you can hold. "Everything is wrong" is not.

Try to be specific. Instead of "upset", is it hurt, embarrassed, lonely, tired, or afraid? Often it's two or three at once, and that's normal.

A feeling is information, not an order. You can notice anger without acting on it, and sadness without believing it will last forever.

Key points

• Pause and ask: what exactly am I feeling?
• Use a specific word, or two
• Notice it without obeying it

From the Quran & Sunnah

• Stress & worry
• Sadness & feeling low

More on Understanding emotions

• What's weighing on you?: A gentle reflection to untangle a heavy day
• When anger rises: A short pause between the feeling and the reaction