The feelings wheel
A list of feelings in three rings — from four basic ones to precise shades, so you find the right word.
What it’s for
For when the answer to »how are you feeling« is »I don’t know« or »bad«. A more precise word isn’t cosmetic: research on naming emotions shows that naming alone lowers the intensity of the bodily response.
How to use it
- Start with the four basics: anger, fear, sadness, joy. Which is closest?
- Find the shade: within anger, for instance, irritation, indignation, resentment, rage; within fear, anxiety, uncertainty, worry, dread.
- Check in the body: with the right word, something usually loosens or sharpens. That is the confirmation.
- Add what the feeling is addressed to. Often it isn’t the most recent thing that happened.
See also
See also
Wheel of life
Eight areas you rate from 0 to 10 — an overview of where life has tilted.
Plan for the first weeks after a separation
A simple plan for the period when there is no strength for deciding — what happens when, who is where, what can wait.
Panic card
A card for your wallet with a few sentences you couldn't put together during an attack.
