Making it a general principle to “accept, then redirect” thoughts - that is, to accept the initial manifestations of a thought stream and then redirect attention to the “present” – reflects low regard for what thought streams have to offer. The technique of labeling moods and emotions reflects a similar devaluation of emotional life. To label is to engage in shallow processing. This is sadness; this is anger. These are all ways of constraining thoughts and blunting emotions. To label is to reduce, to make small. It’s no accident that labeling people is considered rude – it’s diminishing and a sign of prejudice.