how does language and labels shape our experience?
007 | Hue's Cues: your weekly dose of inspiration and insights for your brain, mind, body, and soul.
Language shapes how we experience reality not only through information, but also in the range of our feelings. Have you ever experienced a feeling you couldn’t quite name?
In English, I often have to express myself with greater context and justify the why behind my emotions, while in Bahasa, the same feeling can be explained with one word. There’s no hierarchy, neither language is better. But I wonder how the languages we’re fluent in can impact our experience and perception of the world?
I obliged with the reminiscing 2016 trend and spent time scrolling through my albums. Yes, the moments we photograph are either a highlight reel or practicalities, but I happily indulged in nostalgia. As I scrolled through old photos, I let the emotions—and cringe—flood in too. Good news—the research is encouraging: nostalgia activates parts of the brain linked to self-identity, emotional regulation, and reward. It trains my brain for gratitude too and a great reminder to continue to count my blessings too. I label this appreciation.
Have you noticed how different foods nourish your mind differently? Some may even sabotage your sanity. French fries are my greatest downfalls! Research proves fried foods, especially starchy foods, trigger neuroinflammation and cause lipid chaos that fuels anxiety and depression. So if you’re feeling prickly, save the people around you from a battle. Protect yourself from depressive slumps by choosing what you’re eating carefully. Maybe think twice before wrecking your mental serenity by avoiding what’s been fried. Trust me, I know resisting is hard. As I succumbed to fried tempura today. In my defense it was part of my set. But I’ve learned the hard way, the scale of my emotional reactivity can be matched by the size of my indulgence. Label: let this be a warning to eat responsibly because high fried food consumption impacts anxiety and depression due to lipid metabolism disturbance and neuroinflammation.
“Our population-based study with 140,728 people revealed that frequent fried food consumption, especially fried potato consumption, is strongly associated with 12% and 7% higher risk of anxiety and depression, respectively.”¹
I’ve been stimulating my body with a new kind of discipline: zone two VO₂ training. Demandingly long, intentionally slower, and admittedly a little boring. I’m a high-intensity training snob. But as it’s gold for metabolic and cardiovascular health, I pay my dues. Sitting just below our first lactate threshold—sustained work, but never gasping. Effort without maxing out. Neither hard, nor easy. The sweet spot is somewhere steady in between—for at least 45, but 90 minutes if you’re going for gold. And since I’ve opted out of wearables, I use the talk test instead: can I hold conversation without sounding like I am struggling with survival? Label: discipline. Andrew Huberman’s explains it well on it or indulge yourself here.
I’ve been riding high on the nostalgia train, reconnecting with old friends has been the unexpected rest and recovery my soul needed. While I enjoyed observing others reminiscing on 2016 memories, I did the same: but instead of broadcasting mine across socials, I sent the memories directly to the people I shared them with. This replenished my soul in so many ways; further multiplied by the shared connection. If you want a way to remind your people you’re thinking about them or as a way to rekindle old connections, I label this a trip down memory lane.
Kareem Soenharjo’s new album: Tapas—available in full on YouTube— is a serving of emotions. It’s a departure from his hip hop roots, but a showcase of his musicality and range. His thirst for experimentation is what I appreciate most. Full of surprises: he creates art from the heart and is a master at not allowing labels confine him. ICYMI: his two-part interview is on HueVoices.
Akua Naru - Poetry: How Does It Feel Now??? (Live Performance). Easily, one of my favorite performances. Words with melody have a magic in teasing emotion.
It’s hard to go wrong with steak and eggs.
