When someone asks a question like “how are you?” or “how are you feeling” do you often feel unsure, overwhelmed, or confused? Do you often answer “good” or “fine” because you don’t truly know? If you said yes, you are not alone! Labeling your emotions can be challenging, but we will go over some tools to support you in learning how to identify how you are feeling.
Emotional Labeling
Emotional labeling is the ability to recognize and label your emotions as you experience them. Emotional labeling is an important step in emotional regulation, coping, and communicating. Labeling emotions can be a difficult process and it is important to approach the practice with patience and self-compassion. By putting forth effort and investing time in this practice we can cultivate more effective emotional regulation skills and enjoy an enhanced sense of wellbeing.
The Feelings Wheel
The feelings wheel is a visual representation of various emotions. It is a widely used visual aid that organizes emotions based on the six core emotions of happiness, calm, strong, fear, sadness, and anger. Each of these core emotions is then split into more specific sub-emotions. By using the emotions wheel you can improve your emotional awareness and better understand your feelings. Some emotions wheels will vary on the terminology they utilize, but they fundamentally work the same way. For example, they have feelings wheels for children that use easy to understand kid-friendly feelings words.
The original feelings wheel was created by Gloria Willcox and organizes 72 different emotions into 6 categories. It is organized with the 6 core emotions in the center and as you make your way to the edges of the circle the emotions become increasingly more specific. This structure helps us narrow down how we are truly feeling and supports us in differentiating between emotions.
For Example:
Fear: sub-emotions such as anxious, scared, nervous, or worried.
Sadness: sub-emotions such as lonely, guilty, ashamed, or depressed.
Joy: sub-emotions such as excitement, gratitude, hopeful, and content.
Calm: sub-emotions such as trusting, secure, relaxed, and safe.
Anger: sub-emotions such as frustrated, hurt, critical, or jealous.
How to use the Feelings Wheel
Using the feelings wheel is a fantastic way to increase emotional literacy, boost emotional awareness, and foster a deeper understanding of your emotions. To use the feelings wheel start by reviewing all of the different emotions and try to select the one that feels the most accurate to your current experience. You might consider what is going on in your life at the moment and the other factors that could be contributing to how you feel. For example, you identify feeling sad and then select loneliness which helps connect the dots between the circumstances and the emotions. The feelings wheel can be a great resource for self-reflection, noticing patterns and triggers, and even developing effective coping strategies.
In addition to helping you label how you are currently feeling, the feelings wheel can help us locate the opposite emotion. The opposite emotion will be located on the opposing side of the wheel and can provide you with information about what emotion can help you. This allows the feelings wheel to not only tell us what we are feeling but also what we need or are longing for in that moment. An example; if you label feeling powerless the opposite action would be to engage in activities or thought patterns that make you feel empowered or strong. Or if we label feeling rejected or excluded we know we are desiring acceptance or belonging.
To use the feelings wheel you can try the following steps:
Create a safe and calm environment: Find a comfortable and quiet place to work on your emotional awareness. Being in a safe place makes it easier to get in touch with our feelings and understand them.
Become familiar with the feelings wheel: Take time to explore the feelings wheel and identify emotions that resonate with you. Our core emotions tend to be the easiest to identify, so start from the center of the wheel and slowly work your way out.
Use the feelings wheel to practice self-reflection: Take time to reflect on your present emotions as well as any patterns or triggers that you can notice. Consider what coping skills you can implement after labeling the emotion. You could write or journal your findings to notice change over time.
Practice noticing the emotional intensity: Question how intense or urgent the emotion is. When we improve our ability to notice emotions when they are less urgent our interventions often work better than waiting until they are at crisis level.
Seek support or ask for help when you need it: If it is difficult to identify your feelings consider seeking support from a mental health professional.
The Feelings List
Another useful visual tool that can support you in identifying and labeling your emotions is the feelings list. The concept is similar to the wheel but appeals to linear thinkers or to those who find the wheel more overwhelming than helpful.
Similar to the feelings wheel we begin by identifying the core emotion. Once you find the core emotion that fits best you can scan through the more descriptive emotions on the list to try and identify a more specific emotional state. This is a great way to expand your emotional literacy and get more comfortable with labeling emotions. You can also simply explore the words listed and try to quickly identify and communicate the emotion you are feeling. With consistent practice this resource will enhance your emotional regulation, emotional labeling, and overall well-being.
When to seek additional support:
If you find it challenging to identify and cope with your emotions, a mental health professional can be a valuable resource to you in the process of learning. Understanding your emotions, knowing what triggers them, and learning how to cope with or resolve these feelings is an important skill to learn for emotional regulation. Emotional labeling is a skill we are not often taught, but one that can be incredibly rewarding to learn and life changing to continue implementing. If you face consistent dysregulation or feel disconnected, overpowered, or confused by your emotions then seeking a mental health professional is advisable. A therapist can offer tailored interventions for coping and identifying underlying stressors and triggers while facilitating a deeper healing process. Additionally, a mental health professional can address other elements of your mental health that might be contributing to these symptoms.
At Balanced Minds Psychology & Wellness we specialize in assisting individuals navigating life’s challenges. To learn more about me and the services I provide, checkout my profile. If you are ready to start the therapy process, contact us today to start a free consultation.
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