Why naming your emotions helps you to calm your mind

When your thoughts start to race, everything blends together - the what-ifs, the worries, the irritation that something small didn’t go to plan. It can feel like there’s no clear line between one feeling and the next. That’s when a tiny act of awareness can bring everything back into focus: naming what you feel.

It sounds too simple to matter, but science says otherwise. Psychologists call this affect labelling and it’s been shown in multiple studies to reduce emotional intensity. When you put a feeling into words - “I feel anxious”, “I feel uncertain” - you shift activity from the amygdala, the part of your brain that triggers stress, to the prefrontal cortex, which helps you think clearly and regain perspective.

In other words, you’re not pushing the feeling away or pretending it isn’t there. You’re just noticing it - giving it shape and space. That small act creates a moment of separation between you and the feeling, which is often enough to help you see things differently.

How to try this technique:

Next time you feel tense or caught in a thought loop, try this:

  1. Pause for a moment. Put your phone down, step away from the noise.

  2. Ask yourself: What am I feeling right now?

  3. Name it in one word: This is worry. This is tension. This is uncertainty.

  4. Take one slow breath. Let the words settle, without needing to fix anything.

That’s it. No journaling, no overthinking - just naming and noticing.

Why this works for overthinkers

If you tend to live in your head, constantly analysing, this simple technique can feel like an antidote. It moves you out of thinking about the problem and into observing what’s present. It reminds your mind that feelings are information, not instructions.

Over time, this small habit builds emotional awareness - helping you spot patterns, understand triggers, and respond with more calm and clarity.

How Luma can help

At Luma, we’ve built this idea into our Emotional Weather tool - a simple space to check in, name what you’re feeling and track how those feelings change over time. It’s a gentle reminder that you don’t have to solve every thought to find calm. Sometimes, you just need to notice what’s here.

If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can learn more about Luma here.