Identify our Emotions

  Recognize   --   Identify   --   Examine   --   Release   --   Reflect  

Name it

Once you have the feelings down, it is important to accurately label the emotion. The mistakes people make here are mislabeling the emotion, or using generic words that do not get it exactly right. For example, using words like "weird", "upset", or "bothered" all have a variety of ambiguous meanings. There is more power and more ability to work with the emotion when using words like "anxious", "sad", or "angry" instead. Additionally, we often have blends of several emotions at a time, or conflicting emotions, which makes this part even more difficult. Having a good emotional vocabulary is an important part of this, so check below for a large list of emotions and the Circle of Emotions, if you are more visual.

List of Emotions

Below is a list of common variations on primary emotions. This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but may be able to help you expand your emotion vocabulary.

Fear

anxious, avoidant, cautious, concerned, frozen, insecure, intimidated, guarded, overwhelmed, panicked, stressed, tense, terrified, trapped, vulnerable, worried.

Anger

aggressive, bitter, cold, competitive, defensive, disgusted, disrespected, enraged, frustrated, hostile, irritated, jealous, mad, outraged, resentful, revolted.

Sadness

apathetic, depressed, disheartened, disappointed, disillusioned, embarrassed, grief-stricken, guilty, hurt, lonely, needy, regretful, rejected, shameful, stuck, tired, weak.

Joy

blissful, brave, confident, connected, ecstatic, energized, excited, friendly, happy, hopeful, loved, loving, proud, powerful, rebellious, relieved, relaxed, spiritual, strong, thankful, touched, tough, warm

Self-Conscious Emotions

Guilt, shame, embarrassment, and pride. Read more about this unique group of emotions here.

Plutchik Emotion Circumplex

Additionally, below is the wonderful graphic representation of a highly regarded emotion classification system.

Also

1. Find a recent incident that caused you some emotional discomfort.

2. Look at the feeling - name and write down the feeling.

3. Try to find the underlying thought that produced that feeling e.g. "I am always stupid".

4. Dispute the thought with facts, Scripture, logic and common sense until you come up with a more functional perspective on the event.

5. Write down the new feeling that comes with the new explanation.

Identify Your “Little and Unimportant Hurts”

   * Record What Makes You Feel Strongly For Two Months
     Memories That Won’t Go Away: 

   * Keep a Journal of the Emotions in Your Dreams

   * Be Specific About The Emotions You Are Experiencing

Secondary Emotions (Anger,Frustration,Sadness)

When angry you ask, why am I angry? how do I feel?