Building Emotional Vocabulary
Building an emotional vocabulary allows us to express ourselves more precisely and understand others better. Many people have a limited vocabulary for describing emotions, which can hinder self-awareness and interpersonal communication.
Expanding Your Emotional Vocabulary
Why It Matters: A broader emotional vocabulary helps us communicate our feelings accurately, reducing misunderstandings and enhancing empathy.
Types of Emotions: Familiarize yourself with categories of emotions—such as fear-based, joy-based, and anger-based emotions—and the many words within each category (e.g., “frustrated” vs. “irritated” for anger-based feelings).
Creating an Emotion Wheel
The emotion wheel, a tool often used in psychology, categorizes emotions into primary, secondary, and tertiary feelings. This helps individuals expand their vocabulary by identifying subtler variations in emotions.
"Words are a lens to focus one’s mind."
— Ayn Rand
Practical Exercise: Use an Emotion Wheel
Instructions: Throughout the week, consult an emotion wheel (many are available online) to label emotions more precisely. Write down each emotion and what caused it, noticing patterns in your emotional responses.
Be Brave & name what you feel :-)