Okay, so the other day, I was feeling all over the place, you know? Like, one minute I’m up, the next I’m down. It was driving me nuts not being able to put my finger on what exactly was going on inside my head. So, I thought, there’s gotta be a better way to figure this mess out. I remembered seeing something about a “feelings wheel” online a while back, and I figured it was worth a shot.
I started by searching on the internet for a feelings wheel, and guess what popped up first? Tons of different versions! Some were simple, some were super complicated, but the basic idea is like this, there is a circle, and in the circle, it has some words. I found one that looked pretty good – not too overwhelming – and it had seven main emotions on it. This seemed like a good starting point.
I downloaded the PDF and printed it out. I decided to keep it simple and just go with the one that looked the most user-friendly.
Then came the hard part: actually using the thing. I looked at the wheel and tried to match how I was feeling to the words on it. The seven main emotions were right there in the middle. Then, it kind of branched out into more specific feelings. This image explores the seven emotions in more detail. And the more specific feelings are arranged in the outer circles. The closer to the center, the more basic the feeling, and the further out, the more nuanced it is.
- First, I tried to pinpoint the general area of what I was feeling. Was I angry? Sad? Scared?
- Then, I moved outwards on the wheel to get more specific. Like, maybe I wasn’t just “sad,” maybe I was “disappointed” or “lonely.”
- It was actually kind of tricky at first. Sometimes the words didn’t quite fit, or I felt like I was feeling multiple things at once. It was like trying to untangle a bunch of knots. I read each word on the wheel and I tried to use them to put into words what I’m experiencing.
- I decided to use this wheel when I had a feeling that I don’t know how to put into words.
But, you know what? The more I used it, the easier it became. I started to see patterns in my emotions. I realized I often jump straight to feeling “angry” when really I’m just “frustrated” or “anxious.”
This whole feelings wheel thing has been a real eye-opener. It’s not like it magically solved all my problems, but it definitely helped me understand myself a little better. I am still using this feelings wheel thing. I keep a copy of it in my room, and I refer to it whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or confused. It’s like having a little emotional roadmap. Pretty neat, huh?
Keep Learning
I think everyone should give this feelings wheel thing a try. It could help you too. I am still learning to use this and identify my emotions. I believe that I can be better at handling my emotions.
