Five-Word Check-In
Write a single sentence starting with “Right now I feel...” and complete it using five words or fewer.
Write a single sentence starting with “Right now I feel...” and complete it using five words or fewer.
Naming an emotion can reduce its intensity and help organise thoughts that feel overwhelming.
Identify one small, manageable action that might support the specific feeling you just named.
Overview
The Five-Word Check-In is a form of “Affect Labeling,” a technique used in psychology to help regulate emotions. When a person feels stressed or overwhelmed, emotions can feel like a chaotic fog, making it difficult to think clearly. Research suggests that simply identifying and naming an emotion can decrease the brain's emotional reactivity. This specific technique adds a constraint—using five words or fewer—which encourages precision. Instead of getting lost in a long narrative or “ruminating” (looping on negative thoughts), the focus shifts to finding the most accurate label for the current experience. This brief moment of pause and definition is often described as “micro-journaling.”
Understanding the Guard Dog and Wise Owl
The Guard Dog
The Amygdala lives in the basement. Always on alert. Reacts fast to keep you safe, but sometimes barks at things that aren't really threats.
The Wise Owl
The Prefrontal Cortex lives upstairs. Thinks things through, makes plans, and helps you make good decisions—but needs a moment to wake up.
Think of your brain like a house with two main floors. The downstairs is home to the “Guard Dog” (the Amygdala), which reacts to stress with big emotions to keep you safe. The upstairs is home to the “Wise Owl” (the Prefrontal Cortex), which uses logic and language to solve problems. When feelings are intense, the Guard Dog barks loudly, and the Wise Owl often flies away, making it hard to find words. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the simple act of putting a feeling into words forces the “upstairs brain” to come back online. As the Wise Owl searches for the right label (e.g., “frustrated” vs. “angry”), it sends soothing signals back downstairs. This process, known as affect labeling, acts like a dimmer switch, lowering the volume of the Guard Dog’s barking so that clearer thinking can return.
How to Use This Skill
This technique acts like a “pressure valve.” It releases a small amount of emotional steam so the system does not overheat.
The Pause (Interoception)
A student notices their chest feels tight and their thoughts are racing before opening an exam paper.
Why this helps: This step engages **Interoception**, the sense that allows the brain to understand what is happening inside the body.
The Label (Affect Labeling)
The student writes, “Right now I feel unprepared.”
Why this helps: This uses **Affect Labeling**. Research shows that naming an emotion reduces activity in the amygdala.
The Constraint (Cognitive Load Reduction)
Instead of writing a paragraph about why they will fail, the student stops at those five words.
Why this helps: Limiting the word count prevents **Rumination**, which is the tendency to repetitively think about negative situations.
"**The Trigger:** It is Sunday night, and there is a lot of homework left to do. **The Sensation:** The student feels a general sense of dread and avoids opening their backpack. **The Check-In:** * *Attempt 1 (Too long/Ruminating):* “I am so lazy and I always leave things to the last minute and now I’m going to be tired tomorrow.” (This increases stress). * *Attempt 2 (Five-Word Check-In):* “Right now I feel overwhelmed.” **The Result:** Naming it “overwhelm” validates the feeling without judging it. The brain recognizes the feeling, the body settles slightly, and the student may feel ready to open one book."
Try to imagine yourself in this situation as you practice the skill.
This skill can be practiced anywhere, as it requires only a moment of attention and a mental or physical note. **Notes App:** Create a dedicated note on a phone to log check-ins. Seeing the list over time can reveal patterns. **Sticky Note:** Place a sticky note on a desk or mirror as a reminder to pause and name the feeling during stressful times.
Pro Tip: If you can’t find the perfect word, “uncomfortable” or “messy” are valid labels that still help the brain regulate.
Educators and psychologists recommend this because it bridges the gap between feeling an emotion and understanding it. This works because language processing and emotional reactivity often work like a seesaw; as one goes up, the other tends to go down.
Key Research Points
- Reduces Reactivity: Studies show that labeling negative emotions can dampen the physiological stress response.
- Increases Self-Awareness: Regular check-ins help a person understand their emotional weather patterns.
Research-based evidence supporting this skill
This technique is grounded in the neuroscience of affect labeling, researched by Dr. Matthew Lieberman at UCLA, and the concept of “Name it to Tame it,” popularized by Dr. Dan Siegel.
Books & Manuals
- Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2011). *The whole-brain child: 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child's developing mind*. Delacorte Press.
- Pennebaker, J. W., & Smyth, J. M. (2016). *Opening up by writing it down: How expressive writing improves health and eases emotional pain*. Guilford Press.
Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. *Psychological Science*, 18(5), 421–428.
- Torre, J. B., & Lieberman, M. D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling as implicit emotion regulation. *Emotion Review*, 10(2), 116–124.
Websites & Online Resources
- Dr. Dan Siegel. (n.d.). Name it to tame it.
- UCLA Social Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. (n.d.). Affect Labeling.