ADHD Wiki
English

Pausing and labeling emotions

Topic path · step 2 of 2 Full page: about 3 min Draft — not yet reviewed by a human

Summary

  • Pause the response and briefly name the feeling, without finding a cause or trying to talk it away.
  • Try naming the feeling; if it feels worse, stop rather than repeating it to force calm.

Ways to apply

  1. On your own

    Free, no special equipment to buy

    1. Pause the reply or action to make room for an emotion word. No fixed countdown is needed.
    2. Name the feeling in a short sentence, such as “I feel angry right now” or “I feel a little afraid.”
    3. Stay with the feeling, without explaining its cause, judging right or wrong, or forcing calm.
    4. Notice how naming feels. Stop if it feels worse; choose the next response when ready.

Naming a feeling does not require reframing the event

Proposed in research

In research, affect labeling means choosing words for a current feeling. It does not require changing the interpretation of the event(Levy-Gigi & Shamay-Tsoory, 2022).

For example, “I feel angry right now” describes a feeling; “He is deliberately targeting me” describes someone else’s motive. Naming only needs to express the feeling. There is no need to establish the other person’s motive or search for an explanation that feels better.

Naming does not require a ten-second countdown

Proposed in research

A general-population picture experiment compared labeling at three points: during viewing, immediately afterward, and ten seconds later. Distress during labeling was lower than during passive viewing in all three groups. The study found no advantage to waiting ten seconds(Levy-Gigi & Shamay-Tsoory, 2022).

The pause makes room for naming; it need not become a fixed countdown.

Mild distress need not be handled with labeling

Proposed in research

Another experiment in the same study found that labeling reduced distress from pictures that evoked strong negative feelings. For pictures that evoked milder negative feelings, labeling increased distress instead(Levy-Gigi & Shamay-Tsoory, 2022).

This suggests labeling does not suit every situation. In daily use, stopping when it feels worse is enough; repetition is unnecessary.

Evidence

References (1)
  1. Cohort studyAffect labeling: The role of timing and intensityLevy-Gigi Einat, Shamay-Tsoory Simone (2022). PLOS ONE