Tool
Name it to tame it
Name it to tame it is the simplest emotional-literacy tool: put what you feel into words, as precisely as you can.
How to do it
- Pause and notice: "Something is happening in me."
- Finish the sentence: "I feel ___ because ___."
- Try for a precise word. Not bad — embarrassed, dreading, resentful. Use Emotions A–Z if you are stuck.
- Rate it 1–10.
Why it works
In a UCLA brain-imaging study, labeling the emotion in a picture reduced amygdala activity compared with simply looking at it.1 Naming a feeling shifts the brain from alarm toward thinking.
-
Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x ↑
Put this into practice
Book
The 10P B.E.L.T. Participant Manual
The workbook behind the program — vocabulary, regulation tools, reflection pages and transition planning in one place.
Shop 10P books
See also
Cite this entry: Samual Nathaniel Brown. “Name it to tame it.” The Emotional Literacy Encyclopedia, 10P Program, 2026-10-25. https://emotionalliteracy.org/tools/name-it-to-tame-it/
