Once you’ve taken a calming breath, the next step in self-regulation is to name what you feel. Emotions are information, signals that guide how we respond. When we pause to identify what’s happening inside (“I feel frustrated,” “I feel nervous”), we move from reacting to reflecting and responding in the present. Naming feelings doesn’t make them stronger; it makes us stronger by giving clarity and choice in how to express. In my BINGO model, I stands for Identify Feelings, because feelings are normal, natural, and deserve to be recognized for what they are and what they tell us.