How to use your body to soothe your mind.

Calm Practice

Name Your Emotion

Naming our emotions can be healing and helpful. It allows us to create space for how we feel while we are processing the emotion. Externalizing emotions can help to down-regulate the limbic system and amygdala (the emotion centers in the brain).

How do you name your emotions? How do you know how you are feeling?

Start with the body. Pause for a moment, and take a deep breath. Close your eyes (if it feels safe) and begin to scan your body. Be aware of what is present for you in this moment.

Describe your body sensations without judgment or resistance. 

Next ask yourself, “What is my general emotional sense? Is it positive overall, neutral, or uncomfortable? Do I have a sense of one or specific emotions? What clues does my body give me about this emotion(s)?”

• A bubbly warmth feeling in your chest or belly might be happiness, joy, or excitement.
• A heavy, dropping, or flipping feeling in your tummy might be anxiety or anticipation.
• A heavy, tight feeling in your chest might be stress, anxiety, overwhelm, or grief.
• A heavy or hollow feeling or sensation might be sadness.
• A light, expansive feeling in your chest might be calm.

Try to name your emotion. You do not need to “get it right”. After you state your emotion out load you might realize that it does not quite fit, which is also helpful information. 

A good practice for naming your emotions is to frame it in this format: 

“I am noticing…”

For example, “I am noticing anxiety” instead of “I am anxious.”

This format can help to create space between you and the emotion. It honors that you are not your emotions; you are the container that is holding space for a passing experience.

Sit with this emotion for as long as you would like or feels comfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Ballagh, R. (2024). Name your emotion. 101 Ways to Find Calm: How to Use Your Body to Soothe Your Mind. P. 142-143.