Naming Your Emotions To Feel Better, Science Says So!

Last updated by Lauren Hart

Holding yourself back from saying what’s on your heart to the point that you turn crimson red. I’ve known this for years. So much so that I had a stomach ulcer at a very young age. Yes, yes, I kept my emotions in so much that they were eating away at me from the inside! I’ve since realized that I absolutely have to communicate, especially when things aren’t going well. Naming your emotions really makes you feel better, it’s even been scientifically proven. So let’s talk about it!

Naming Your Emotions To Feel Better, Science Says So!
Contents: 

Words heal

We always think of words that hurt, especially because of arguments šŸ’¢. Nevertheless, we quickly forget that confiding can soothe us, and in this case, words set us free. As the psychiatrist Christophe AndrĆ© explains, words have the power to help us, because they can carry not only information but also our emotions. That’s why I love evenings with my close friends, we confide in each other about our experiences šŸ’¬. We free ourselves of weight by doing this. It’s the same as what we do when we go to our psychologist, we transform our pain into words.

šŸ‘‰ If we feel better after talking, it’s because we’ve had an ā€œemotional drainā€, we’ve shared and it’s relieved us. Nevertheless, words go beyond connecting to others through speech.

Working on listening to yourself

Indeed, when we talk and put words to our emotions, we look inside ourselves for what we really feel. It’s an exercise that allows us to give a name to the ā€œemotional blurā€. Because yes, it’s not always easy to manage our emotions and understand them, which is why words can help us in this sense. It’s an in-depth analysis that words push us to do and that we might not do with our internal reflections.

Indeed, even though I always try to do some introspective work to understand myself better, I feel that the exercise of exchanging pushes me to dig a little deeper into the understanding of my emotions. That’s why I love talking to my friends so much 🤭! Especially as afterward, I feel free of weight, and that can be explained by science.

Working on our brains better

Feeling better through words, I know this idea may sound conceptual 🧐. But it has been verified by science through several studies. Here’s an example of one of the experiments conducted during these studies:

Researchers worked with several arachnophobias. To demonstrate the power of words, they were placed in the same room as a spider in a jar. In both cases, the individuals had to approach the jar, but one group of subjects had to say what they felt, and the other had to force themselves to think about something else. The result? A strong decrease in stress was observed in the subjects who verbalized their fear, unlike the other group who had to focus on other thoughts.

šŸ‘‰ Therefore, saying our negative emotions, such as fear, anger, or sadness, reduces the activity of the amygdala, which is the emotional center. By doing this, we instead call on the prefrontal cortex, which is the seat of emotional control. We, therefore, manage to better regulate our feelings and in the case of the experiment, we understand that talking about our fears allows us to face them better šŸ’Ŗ!

Another solution for managing

However, it’s not always easy to verbalize our emotions. As much as I’d love to, I don’t see my friends every day. So, how do we express our emotions to feel better on a daily basis? The good news is that the words we say can also be written down šŸ–Šļø!

It was the work of the psychology researcher James Pennebaker that proved the beneficial effects of keeping a diary. Indeed, writing allows us to do the same analytical work as speaking. We go through the same processes and obtain the same results by confiding on paper, which is also called therapeutic writing.

Whatever form we choose, we now know that naming our emotions is an excellent tool for understanding ourselves. Even better, we manage to free ourselves from the emotional cacophony to feel better and happier. So whether it’s with our tongue or our hands, let’s learn to ver-ba-lize šŸ¤—!

Editor’s note: Practice!

As you’ll have understood, expressing what we feel is crucial. Anything we don’t say remains printed on us and can cause serious damage. It’s certainly not always simple, and it’s easier for some people than others, depending on their personalities, but the good news is that it can be learned! You need to practice, try, start over and free yourself. If you find it difficult naming your emotions or if you feel bad right now, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with a psychologist.

šŸ¤— Understanding yourself, accepting yourself, being happy... It’s here and now!

#BornToBeMe

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Article presented by Lauren Hart

Writing is a beautiful means of expression that I cannot do without. It has allowed me to channel my hypersensitivity, plus I love writing about psychology and personal development. For me, self-understanding is the best way to move forward!

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