Okay, so I’ve been trying to get better at, like, understanding my feelings, you know? Someone suggested using an “emotion wheel,” and I was like, “What’s that?” Turns out, it’s this cool chart that helps you pinpoint exactly what you’re feeling. I found a bunch of them online, so I decided to make my own little project of figuring this out.
Finding the Right One
First, I just googled “emotion wheel pdf.” I got, like, a million hits. So many different versions! Some were super simple, some were crazy complex with layers and layers of emotions. I downloaded a few that looked interesting – a couple of basic ones and one that was really detailed.
Printing and Comparing
Next, I printed them all out. Gotta see them in real life, right? I spread them out on my desk and started comparing. The super simple ones felt too… basic. Like, “happy” or “sad” – duh, I know that! The super complicated one was overwhelming. Too many tiny words I couldn’t even read without squinting.
Trying it Out
I decided to start with a mid-range one. It had a good amount of detail without being too crazy. I picked a time when I was feeling… something… but I wasn’t sure what. I looked at the wheel and started at the center. It had the core emotions, like “joyful,” “angry,” “sad,” “scared.” I felt closest to “sad,” so I followed that branch outward.
The next layer had more specific feelings, like “lonely,” “disappointed,” “gloomy.” “Lonely” felt pretty accurate. I kept going, and the outermost layer had even more specific words. I landed on “isolated.” And yeah, that was it! I felt isolated.
My Takeaway
It was actually pretty cool. Just going through the process of looking at the wheel and narrowing down the options helped me figure out what I was actually feeling. It’s like, once I had the right word – “isolated” – it was easier to understand why I felt that way. And that is the whole point, to not use the basic words.
I’m definitely going to keep using this. Maybe I’ll even try the more complicated wheel eventually. But for now, this mid-range one is perfect. It’s a good way to check in with myself and get better at understanding my emotions.
