With emotional overwhelm becoming more common in our fast-paced world, understanding how and why to put your feelings into words can be a powerful step toward healing. Here, Registered Counsellor Melissa Davids shares her insights into a simple yet transformative practice: affect labelling — the art of naming your emotions.
From calming the brain to enhancing emotional awareness, discover how naming your emotions can support emotional clarity and inner calm. You may have heard phrases like “name it to tame it, but what does that mean for your healing journey? Melissa affirms that this small act can create big shifts on your wellness journey. She sheds more light below...
What is Affect Labelling?
Affect labelling involves consciously identifying and putting words to your emotional experiences, for example, saying “I feel anxious” or “This makes me sad.” While it might seem like a small act, neuroscience reveals it has a big impact.
The Brain on Emotions
When emotions go unnamed, they tend to take control. The amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for fear and stress, goes into overdrive. But when you label what you're feeling, studies have shown that activity in the amygdala decreases, while the prefrontal cortex — the brain’s reasoning and regulation centre — becomes more active. This shift helps you move from emotional reactivity to thoughtful response.
Why It Matters for Healing
Emotional pain, just like physical pain, needs attention and understanding. Unnamed emotions can lead to suppression, confusion, and even physical symptoms. Affect labelling gives you the space to pause, reflect, and approach your feelings with clarity rather than avoidance or shame.
By building a richer emotional vocabulary, you also increase your emotional granularity, your ability to distinguish between emotions like frustration, disappointment, or resentment. This not only improves emotional regulation but also enhan
ces your relationships and decision-making.
A Practical Step for Wellness
Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a moment and ask:
“What am I feeling right now?”Then try to put it into words. Whether it’s joy, grief, guilt, relief, or confusion — naming it is the first step in owning it and working through it.
You can take this further by journaling your emotions, talking to a trusted friend, or working with a mental health professional.
Healing isn’t just about moving past pain it’s about understanding what that pain is trying to tell you. By practising affect labelling, you give your emotions the dignity of being acknowledged, which is a foundational step in any wellness journey.
Your feelings are valid. Your voice matters. And sometimes, healing starts with a single word.
Recent stories by:
Thobeka Phanyeko
Ratile Mabitsela on her sacred return to self, navigating grief and rewriting her story
Men's Mental Health Month: Exclusive Q&A with the author of Patient 12A, Lesedi Molefi
Applying for a credit card? This is what you need to know
This is how you can align your chakras
