Name a feeling to soften it

Putting a feeling into words tends to soften how strongly it is felt, even when it does not seem to be doing anything.

The study

This review looked at research on "affect labeling", which means naming an emotion as you feel it. Studies found that labeling feelings can reduce emotional experience, with effects on how people feel, how their bodies respond, brain activity, and behavior that resemble those of deliberate strategies for managing emotions. Unlike those strategies, it may not feel like regulation while it is happening.

Starting small

A short check-in can do this. Naming how you feel in a word or two, like tense, flat, or hopeful, is a simple habit that takes only a moment.