21 Aug The Power of Naming: A Forgotten Key to Emotional Literacy

We often search for complex healing modalities, overlooking the quiet tools already within reach. One of the most transformative — yet frequently neglected — tools in emotional literacy is simply this: naming what we feel.

Why Naming Matters

Naming an emotion is not just labeling, it’s witnessing. It’s saying, “I see you.” And in that moment, the emotion softens. Neuroscience shows that when we name a feeling, we activate the brain’s prefrontal cortex, helping regulate the intensity of that emotion. Spiritually, it’s a form of shuhūd : bearing witness to our inner states with honesty and compassion.

What Happens When We Don’t Name

When emotions remain unnamed, they often manifest as tension, irritability, or even physical symptoms. We might say, “I feel off,” but not pause to ask, “Is this sadness? Is this disappointment? Is this fear dressed as anger?” Without clarity, we react instead of respond.

A Quiet Shift: A Story from the Prayer Mat

My client Amina (32) had been feeling heavy for weeks. Not broken, just… muted. Her dhikr felt dry, her journaling scattered. She kept telling herself, “I’m fine. Just tired.” But the tiredness lingered, and so did the irritability, by snapping at her children, withdrawing from her Quran group, skipping her morning affirmations.

One evening, after maghrib, she sat on her prayer mat and whispered, “Ya Allah, I don’t even know what I’m feeling.” And then, almost instinctively, she reached for the Emotion Wheel she’d printed months ago but never used.

She scanned the words slowly. Frustrated. Disappointed. Lonely. Guilty. Her eyes welled up at guilty. That was it. She felt guilty for not “doing enough,” for not being the woman she thought she should be. And beneath that guilt was sadness — sadness that she hadn’t given herself permission to be tender with her own heart.

Naming it didn’t fix everything. But it softened her. She journaled that night, not to solve, but to witness. And in the days that followed, she noticed a quiet shift: her dhikr felt sweeter, her tone gentler, her heart more spacious.

A Simple Tool: The Emotion Wheel

One easy way to support this process is the Emotion Wheel : a visual guide that expands our vocabulary beyond “happy,” “sad,” or “angry.” It invites us to explore nuances like resentful, vulnerable, hopeful, or overwhelmed.

You can:

• Print it and keep it near your prayer mat or journal
• Use it during EFT tapping
• Use it as a prompt for your journalling practise

Here’s a clear and accurate version of the Emotion Wheel you can use.

The Qur’an often names emotional states with precision: khawf (fear), huzn (grief), sakīnah (tranquility), farḥ (joy). This divine language reminds us that emotions are not flaws, they are part of our fitrah. Naming them is a way of honoring the soul’s whispers.

Try This Today

Pause. Breathe. Ask:

“What am I feeling right now?”

“Can I name it without judgment?”

“What does this emotion need from me?”

You might be surprised how much shifts with just that.

May your emotions be named, held, and healed,

R