Sometimes, emotions show up all at once — they can be loud and confusing. Naming those emotions, even with just a few simple words, can reduce their intensity and bring back a sense of control. This is what affect labeling is all about.
The Affect Labeling or “Naming Your Feelings” handout introduces clients to the powerful skill of identifying and naming emotions. The page is divided into four simple sections: why this skill works, how to name feelings, phrases to try, and practice opportunities. At the bottom of the page, there’s a gentle reminder that naming a feeling is enough — there’s no pressure to act on it right away.
Affect labeling has been shown to reduce emotional intensity and increase emotional regulation. They can try practicing it during daily check-ins, journaling sessions, or whenever a strong emotion arises.
Supportive adults can reinforce the skill by modeling it themselves using a calm tone. Creative activities like the feelings mirror challenge (looking in a mirror and labeling emotions) or drawing emojis to represent how they feel each day, can make the process more engaging.
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References:
- Muyassaroh, A. R., & Prasetyo, I. (2019). Labelling basic emotion developing emotions in early childhood. Proceedings of the International Conference on Special and Inclusive Education (ICSIE 2018). https://doi.org/10.2991/icsie-18.2019.55
- Price, G. F., Ogren, M., & Sandhofer, C. M. (2022). Sorting out emotions: How labels influence emotion categorization. Developmental Psychology, 58(9), 1665-1675. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001391
- Torre, J. B., & Lieberman, M. D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. Emotion Review, 10(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917742706
- Vlasenko, V. V., Rogers, E. G., & Waugh, C. E. (2021). Affect labelling increases the intensity of positive emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 35(7), 1350-1364. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2021.1959302
