September

Name It to Tame It

This month we are learning how to identify and recognize our emotions to practice self-regulation. Denying or avoiding feelings doesn't make them go away, nor does it lessen their impact on us, even if it's unconscious. Noticing and naming emotions gives us the chance to take a step back and make choices about what to do with them. 

Our emotional reflexes run deep (inside the brain), and change comes only with significant practice and patience. The practice is awareness: to get better at catching yourself. Labeling an emotion helps you create distance from it. From there, we can choose how to respond instead of being led by our strong emotions alone.