Emotional Granularity is the ability to label your emotions and is the new buzz word.  If you can develop this skill  it improves ALL of your relationships, makes you life longer and happier. It has also been proven to  lessen depression, anxiety and stress.

Definitely something we all need!

People with emotional granularity are more datable!

Research carried out by US psychologist professor Lisa Feldman Barrett found that labeling feelings beyond ‘good’ and ‘bad’ helps your brain cope with life – it gives your brain the tools to handle problems.

So how do you master it? By following this 5 Step Action Plan:

5 Step Action Plan

1. Be Aware
   

   It is time to be aware of your emotions. Take the time to work out how you are feeling – ask yourself what emotions you are feeling. It might be hard to start with but with practice you will be able to identify what you are feeling.

2. Label your emotions
   

   Label your emotions just  like you would your lunch in a shared fridge! Broaden your vocabulary with more variations – the point of this is to  know and define your emotions. The more words you use to describe what you are feeling will enable you to pinpoint them. Remember good and bad don’t cut it! Here is a useful list of emotions to help you out.

3. Accept your emotions – don’t judge them
   

   What you need to be able to do is to observe and label your emotions without judging them. For an example fear helps you react to danger, anxiety makes you more aware of potential threats around you, and guilt makes you reconsider your past actions that may have been harmful to others and make amends with them. What you need to realise is that every emotion has a role to play and has a place. Putting emotions into words allows a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the emotional states. The capacity to recognize what you are  feeling gives you  the ability to choose how to act.

4. Allow Yourself to Feel the Emotion
   

   You experience emotions for a reason and if you suppress them it leads to depressions and sickness. So don’t be scared of the emotion, allow yourself to feel it and sit with the emotion. As you do this the emotion will pass and you will be able to release it.

5. Take Action
   

   When you have recognised and labeled the emotion it is important to take constructive action to deal with the emotion. If you are stressed try deep breathing or meditating. If you are sad, call a friend so you can talk about it. The other useful thing to do is to have a journal for your eyes only and write – it helps you express and deal with emotions and gets rid of emotional blockages. Studies have  shown that the emotional release from journaling lowers anxiety, stress, and induces better sleep. For more information read 10 Surprising Benefits You’ll Get From Keeping a Journal .

Debbie xxoxx