Day 3

Framing, naming, and taming your emotions is how we become emotionally intelligent. Today, let’s talk about that second part: how to name your emotions.

Naming your emotions means not living in denial. Sounds easy, right? It’s definitely easier if you’ve taken the first step, which is framing your emotions—having self-awareness. When we have self-awareness (when we’re able to frame our emotions), it makes being able to name our emotions, and not live in denial, a reasonable and achievable reality.

In Matthew 8, there was a demon-possessed man. The first thing Jesus said to him was: What’s your name? The man could not be delivered from the demon until he named what the demon was. Likewise, if you want to be free of something, you have to be willing to name it.

Call out the affliction you’re dealing with—whatever it is that is tormenting you. Are you living with fear? Call it what it is. Are you struggling with anger? Call it what it is. Are you dealing with lust? Call it what it is.

Go beyond the first step of framing it: name it! Dig deeper into what it is you’re dealing with. Once you feel an emotion and are able to challenge it for what it is, then you are able to tame it, which is what we’ll talk about next!