Human Emotions Inventory

Remember vocab tests in school? You probably had a wide range of words on those tests, but I'm willing to bet that it never included vocabulary of how to describe what's happening in our inner world.

Learning the vocabulary of emotions supports us in better understanding what's happening inside us.

Fundamentally, there are four ways to articulate our inner experience:

1) Naming thoughts

2) Naming feelings

3) Naming needs

4) Naming body sensations

Here we are focusing on #2 - Naming feelings.

Below is a list of emotions to help begin building this vocabulary.

When you're not quite sure what you're feeling, or want to practice building your emotional vocabulary with granularity, give a peak at this list to see what word(s) stands out to describe what you're feeling in this moment. 

Practice getting as granular as you can. Instead of 'I feel happy,' explore the next layer deeper: might you feel cheerful, or elated, or even ecstatic?

You might have heard the term 'name it to tame it.'  The more you're able to notice the nuances of what you're feeling, the deeper your understanding of yourself will become, and the more quickly you'll be able to move through those experiences.