How to Think Clearly When Your Emotions Take Over

Let me ask you something…

Has your brain ever gone completely offline at the worst possible time?

You’re in a conversation, a meeting, or an argument and suddenly you feel flooded…

your thoughts scatter, your heart speeds up, your logic disappears, and your mouth says things your calm self would never approve of.

Yep. We've all been there at one time or another.

Your emotions aren’t the problem.

Your relationship TO your emotions is the problem.

And once you understand what’s actually happening inside your brain during emotional overload, you can get control back — FAST.

Let’s break it down.

Why Emotions Hijack Your Thinking (and Why Smart People Struggle the Most)

When your emotions spike, your brain does something wild:

📌 The amygdala (your emotional threat detector) ramps up…
and the prefrontal cortex (your logic, clarity, and reasoning center) shuts down.
(Source: Harvard Medical School)

Imagine trying to write a professional email while someone is setting off fireworks inside your skull.

That's your brain during emotional activation.

📌 Emotionally intelligent people actually feel emotions MORE intensely — not less.
(Source: Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)

Which means the people who care the most often struggle the most to think clearly.

You’re not “too sensitive.”
Your brain is doing its job.

It’s just terrible timing.

So how do you get your clarity back?

Here are three scientifically backed tools you can use in the moment to reset your brain, calm your emotions, and get your thinking back online.

1.Label the Emotion…Yes, Literally Say It!

This one sounds too simple to matter, and a lot strange but…

📌 Naming the emotion reduces amygdala activation by up to 40%.
(Source: UCLA – Affect Labeling Study)

It’s called “Name it to tame it.”

Instead of spiraling internally, try:

• “I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

• “I’m frustrated.”

• “I’m anxious and that’s okay.”

You’re not getting dramatic.
You’re communicating with your nervous system.

When you label what you feel, your brain goes:
“Oh. We’re not in danger. This is manageable.”

Clarity begins here.

2. Breathe Slower Than You Think You Need To

No eye-rolling here!!! Breathing is neuroscience, not mindfulness fluff.

Believe it or not…When emotions spike:

• Your breath gets shallow

• Your heart rate increases

• Oxygen to your brain drops

• Clear thinking tanks

Here’s the simple, human-performance-friendly fix:

The 4–6 Protocol

• Inhale for 4 seconds

• Exhale for 6 seconds

• Repeat 5–8 times

📌 A longer exhale activates your vagus nerve — your body’s “calm down” switch.
(Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)

Within 60–90 seconds, you regain access to your thinking brain.

Think of this as rebooting your mental software.

3. Ask Yourself One “Reorientation” Question

When emotions take over, your brain stops thinking about the moment and starts thinking about survival.

This question pulls your mind out of the emotional spiral and back into logic:

“What’s the real problem I’m trying to solve right now?”

This works because:

📌 When you shift from emotional reaction to problem solving, your brain literally changes networks.
(Source: Cognitive Science Journal)

You move from chaos to clarity in seconds.

Other versions that work just as well:

• “What matters most here?”

• “What outcome do I want?”

• “What’s true in this moment?”

These questions interrupt emotional overwhelm and re-engage rational thinking.

 THE HUMAN EDGE TAKEAWAY

Clear thinking isn’t about eliminating emotions.
(That’s impossible and honestly, a terrible idea.)

Clear thinking is about having the tools to stay grounded while your emotions are present.

Remember:
✔ Your brain isn’t broken
✔ You’re not overreacting
✔ You’re not “bad under stress”

You simply need a reset protocol.

And when you learn how to regulate your internal world…
you think better, speak better, and lead better — even when it matters most.

That is your Human Edge.

Want the next level?

Grab my free guide:
5 Scripts to Stay Calm & Credible in High-Stakes Conversations
Perfect for those moments when your emotions run the show and you need your words to actually land.

 Three things to ALWAYS remember:

Be CONFIDENT!

Be EMPATHETIC!

AND ALWAYS HAVE PASSION!!!!

Until next week,
Keep building your Human Edge.