3-minute read

The Naming Guide

When something feels wrong but you can't explain why.

If this feels familiar...

You don't feel obviously unsafe. You feel uneasy. It's a low hum of anxiety that you can't quite locate.

Replaying conversations looking for your mistake
Overthinking simple interactions
Feeling guilty for setting boundaries
Constantly explaining yourself
Doubting your own memory of events

Confusion is not a personal flaw.
It's often a language gap.

The quiet truth

When we experience subtle harm that doesn't leave bruises, we often turn the blame inward. We assume we are too sensitive, too demanding, or simply "crazy."

Without the right words, experiences remain nebulous. They float around us like a fog. We can feel them, but we cannot grab them, examine them, or remove them.

Language is light. It reveals the structure of what is happening.

What you're feeling...

Constant self-doubt Internalised conditioning

Fear of being labelled "difficult" Power imbalance

Confusion instead of anger Harm without language

Over-explaining yourself Unequal authority

Shame without a clear mistake Structural harm

"Why am I reacting like this?" A system benefiting from silence

A new perspective

What if nothing is wrong with me… and this has a name?

When you find the name:

The shame loosens its grip.
The confusion settles into clarity.
The isolation breaks.

Borrow these words

Tap to copy and use them when you need to.

"I'm uncomfortable with how this is being framed."

"This isn't just personal. There's a structural dynamic here."

"I don't consent to this way of being spoken to."

"Let's name what's actually happening."

"I need to pause before responding."

Read this slowly

The moment you can name the harm, you reclaim your reality. You stop gaslighting yourself. You begin to trust your own perception again.

This guide is not a diagnosis. It is a permission slip. Permission to trust your gut. Permission to say, "This isn't okay."