Label Negative Feelings

You feel awful. Okay, give that awfulness a name. Sad? Anxious? Angry?

Boom. It’s that simple. Sound stupid? Your noggin disagrees. Suppressing emotions doesn’t work and can backfire on you. But labelling, on the other hand, makes a big difference. Ancient methods were way ahead of us on this one. Meditation has employed this for centuries. Labelling is a fundamental tool of mindfulness.

Labelling affects the brain so powerfully it works with other people too. Labelling emotions is one of the primary tools used by FBI hostage negotiators.