Name It and Tame It
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“A person without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”
Anxiety is something we all experience at some level. Anxiety can be good because it is a motivating force that protects and encourages. But like most things, it becomes a negative when taken too far and begins to control you. Anxiety Is The Enemy, by Nick Trenton, begins addressing anxiety by calling you to “Label Your Emotions.” Trenton calls us to intentionally label our anxious emotions when we spiral downward into a wave of emotion that overwhelms us. Until we can name the distress, it will feel inescapable.
Trenton quotes UCLA School of Medicine professor Dan Siegel, who “teaches people how to ‘name it and tame it.’” When “we create distance between us and them,” we can separate enough, move beyond the wave of emotion, and address the anxiety rationally. “If you can see an emotion, you don’t have to be an emotion.” We do not have to be the angry, fearful, anxious person we feel when we are allowed to think through who we wish to be in this life. Trenton says it this way, “Once the strong emotional response is dampened, then we can go in and allow our rational brains to step in and solve the problems for us.”
Emotions are not detrimental until we are no longer able to control them. “When we label an emotion, it is no longer something we are but something we are aware of.” When we stop acting on emotions and recognize that we are more than our momentary feeling, we can step above the temporary situation and address the issue more rationally and with less angst. The key is to pause and call on our rational awareness. By breathing deeply and in a controlled manner, we diminish the power of the emotional wave and make room for reflection. Lessening the anxiety and controlling one’s emotions makes room for the mind to focus on prayer. Prayer allows the Holy Spirit to further our calm and intelligent reflection.
Today, remember an anxious moment in your history. It shouldn’t be difficult. Let the old feelings well up within. It will not be as overwhelming as when the uncomfortable event occurred because time provides distance from the incident. Then, practice ways of calming yourself and creating space to reflect. While practicing, include inviting God into the process of calming and reflection. God will help you diminish the enemy we call anxiety and replace those negative feelings with confidence, calm, and divine trust. Like any skill, it takes practice to master.
