The word stress is used generically to describe any kind of anxiety, agitation, anger, fear, guilt, or sadness we are feeling. However, if we simply describe the emotion that is fueling our stress in a few words, it will help reduce the charge of the emotion.1
For example, when I feel that someone has let me down (oh those dreaded expectations), instead of thinking/saying “I feel disappointed” I describe it in a few more words such as “I feel disappointed because …” By describing your emotions with a little more detail, this identification process can help you to start relaxing.