Emotional vocabulary
The current pace of our lives leaves no room for feelings. Experiencing our emotions is important. We have lost the art of doing so. Many people don't know how to name their emotions.
We should begin by enriching our vocabulary. Identify the emotions, understand them, and let them resonate inside us. Regardless of the dictionary definition, our past, culture, and personality shape our emotions.
Identifying and naming Emotions
We all experience different emotions and feelings. Unfortunately, we do not name them properly. The research in the emotional field is really extense. To expand our vocabulary, I crafted this downloadable list of emotions. I took two main sources to complete this:
Dr. Marc Brackett from Yale University's Center of Emotional Intelligence. Having studied emotions for many years, points out that we're missing the "Permission to Feel" in his book. He has developed the Mood Meter and the RULER method.Using this tool, we can identify our emotions based on the pleasure and energy we feel at a given moment.
Dr. Tiffany Watt Smith lists many more emotions in her book The Book of Human Emotions. In her work, she incorporates emotions from different cultures. Most of the names are nontranslatable into English.
Focused on the pleasure experienced and the energy involved, the Mood Meter goes beyond categorizing emotions as positive or negative.
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The red quadrant represents emotions with high energy requirements but low pleasure experiences. These emotions drain your energy.
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Those emotions in the blue quadrant require little energy and cause little pleasure. You lose energy when you experience them.
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An emotion in the yellow quadrant involves high energy requirements and high pleasure experiences. It gives you an energy boost.
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In the green quadrant, we find emotions with low energy requirements and low pleasure experiences. These emotions increase energy levels.
Emotional Buffet
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Make an Emotion chart with as many emotions as you feel comfortable with. I recommend starting with 100 on the Mood Meter. We have a wall-sized version at home.
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Stand in front of the chart each day and pick at least 5 emotions that describe how you are feeling. On our chart, we have each emotion displayed as a card, which we are able to choose from like food at a buffet.
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Feel the emotions as they resonate within. Check out the definition. Feel the joy and energy that was involved.
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Keep in mind that you own your feelings. Nobody has the power to make you feel anything.
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Own your feelings by saying : I feel ...
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Are you comfortable with these feelings? Do they drain or boost your energy? Are you enjoying yourself today?
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Take a moment to think about why you are feeling that way.
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If you want to change your mood, select the emotions you want to feel. Give yourself permission to experience uncomfortable emotions. Take time to examine your feelings and circumstances.
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Identify at least three actions that will change your mood. Reflect on what's causing your current emotions.