Affect labeling is the process of naming an emotional state using one word or phrase.
By naming the emotion or feeling, you move from the emotional center of the brain, the amygdala to the processing part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex.
Just by naming the emotion you are feeling activates the thinking part of your brain and reduces the activity of the amygdala, the part of the brain that regulates the fight or flight response.
The shift in the neural activity in turn reduces the physical effects of stress.
You can use the “Wheel of Emotions” to help you name what you are feeling.
In his 2007 study, Dr. Matthew Lieberman found that by naming the emotion in real time stress is reduced by 50% within 90 seconds.
Lieberman, M. D., Eisenberger, N. I., Crockett, M. J., Tom, S. M., Pfeifer, J. H., & Way, B. M. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli: Research article. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421-428. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x
Another tool to process difficult experiences is journaling. Dr. James Pennebaker. He found that by writing 15-20 minutes a day about a traumatic event led to changes like: reduced stress, better immune function ,and brain function. By journaling you are forcing your brain to organize raw emotional data into a structured story which changes how the memory is stored.
Read more about the process here: Expressive writing therapy