Identification and labeling

Accuracy in emotional vocabulary

The first step in managing any psychological phenomenon is the ability to name it accurately.

Often, discomfort is experienced as a nebulous "feeling bad" or "being overwhelmed."

The ability to label requires specifying the exact quality of the experience: is it frustration, disappointment, anxiety, or melancholy.

Studies show that the mere act of putting a precise verbal label on an emotion decreases the activity of the brain amygdala, reducing the physiological intensity of the response.

Saying aloud or to oneself "right now I feel apprehension" activates areas of the brain related to cognitive control, creating an observational distance that allows one to manage the feeling rather than be consumed by it.

Recognition of somatic markers

Emotions are not just mental events; they are complete physiological experiences.

Each emotion has a distinct bodily signature that can serve as an early warning system before conscious cognition registers the feeling.

For example, anger may initially manifest as heat in the face and tension in the hands, while fear may be felt as an emptiness in the stomach or coldness in the extremities.

Training interoception-the ability to sense the inside of the body-allows us to detect emotional escalation in its early stages.

By observing changes in breathing, muscle tension or heart rate, one can intervene with regulation skills before reaching the point of emotional overflow or hijacking.

Validation of the internal experience

The identification process must be accompanied by a posture of internal validation.

This involves recognizing that the present emotion is legitimate and makes sense within the current context, even if it is painful or if the individual wishes he or she did not feel it.

In identifying an emotion, judgment about whether it is "right" or "wrong" should be avoided.

If envy arises, for example, the goal is to label it ("this is envy") and validate it ("it is natural to feel this when seeing another's success when one feels stuck"), rather than suppressing it as morally reprehensible.

This paradoxical acceptance makes it easier for the emotion to follow its natural course like a wave that rises and falls, instead of being stagnated by resistance.

Summary

The first step in management is to name the experience precisely and accurately. Verbally labeling the emotion reduces the activity of the brain amygdala and decreases the physiological intensity of the response .

Emotions possess distinctive bodily signatures that serve as early warnings prior to full consciousness. Training the interception of physical cues allows intervention before emotional hijacking occurs.

Identification requires internal validation, acknowledging the legitimacy of the feeling without judging it as "wrong". This acceptance allows the emotion to flow naturally like a wave, rather than being blocked by resistance .