Name It To Tame It

When "tired," "fine," and "busy," aren't cutting it anymore

My dearest, darling, friend,

How the hell are YOU? Do you actually know? Like…for real?

Because for the longest time - I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THE HELL I FELT! At all. For years, I lived in a haze where a typical day consisted of me clutching a latté while running from meeting to meeting, eating my lunch over a trash can, and MAYBE going outside for a timed, ten minute walk. In my corporate hustle days the only words I had to describe the miracle of my life were "Good, bad, sad, tired, busy." And busy is most def not an emotion.

LOVE this cartoon but couldn’t find the source of it! Whoever drew it - you are a genius!

But then I learned about a practice named "affect labeling," in which you categorize and describe your feelings, sometimes using a tool called an "emotion wheel." Dearest friend, I'm not kidding, but this simple practice changed my life for the better because I finally had the LANGUAGE, the sweet, sweet language to describe and understand how I felt! And once I had more self-knowledge of what was going on inside of me, I could act differently in the outside world. Gradually, I became less reactive, could make new choices, and my emotions felt less overwhelming.

Since first learning about emotion wheels I've read the science behind them and it's super compelling!

• Categorizing and labeling your emotions decreases the intensity of emotional reactions…Oh boy do I need that…

• Positively impacts your overall psychological well-being..Yes please…

• AND! Neuroscientific evidence EVEN reveals that affect labeling activates your brains ability to regulate itself…I mean…sign me up!

So, I’m going to ask you again, do you know how you feel? Are you willing to try an emotion wheel to find out or go deeper? Have you tried one before and seen results? I want to hear from you! I reply to every comment and am dying to hear your thoughts! Click the button below to start the convo (but I don’t reply to emails because they get lost!)

If you’re a part of my Glow Getters (the paid journaling community for this newsletter) you’ll be getting your own copy of my emotion wheel along with a video prompt of me walking you through it! You can thank me later ;)

T$ Stamp of Approval:

• COME HANG OUT WITH ME!

I’m doing an IG Live with my friend, life saver, and intuitive coach, Mory Fontanez. We will be doing an Instagram Live on my account This coming Monday, March 17th at 2 PT/ 5pm EST. Make sure to follow along so you don’t miss it :) Speaking of which…

• A New Book I FULLY Endorse: Higher Self by Mory Fontanez

If you’ve ever felt lost, stuck, or like you’re just reacting to life instead of actually living it, Higher Self by Mory Fontanez is the book you need. Mory is a legit powerhouse - she’s helped Fortune 500 leaders, celebrities, and high-stakes execs, AND ME, navigate total chaos, and guess what? The secret to making better decisions, feeling more aligned, and actually liking your life isn’t hustling harder - it’s listening to your intuition.

This book breaks down exactly how to reconnect with that deep, knowing voice inside you - the one that got buried under people-pleasing, self-doubt, and society’s nonsense. And she does it in a way that’s actually doable, not some vague “just trust yourself” bs.