Have you ever thought of using a list of feelings to describe your emotions? I never was taught how to understand myself. In 2014, I started using a list of emotions and feelings, and it changed my life. Her it is for you.

Understanding yourself is key to helping others understand you.

Here’s a podcast called “Tell Me How You Really Feel” sharing everything I learned about feelings, emotions, moods, and how improving my self-awareness and emotional intelligence helped me recover from addictions and enhance my quality of life. But first, I had to study feelings.

Today, I can deal effectively with my feelings and emotions by labeling and processing them, one at a time.

This practice helped me improve my quality of life, relationships, and faith.

God is truly an artist! He colored our emotions with so many different colors and shades. Each of us is an emotional masterpiece!

BUY the printable 1-page LIST OF FEELINGS to help you label what you’re going through.

List of Feelings

Generally, when we think about feelings, we can differentiate between groups of our moods as negative and positive.

The truth is this: no feelings are actually negative or positive.

Each feeling simply carries a message for us: something must be done.

In essence, a feeling is a call to action.

Sometimes, the best action might be inaction.

For example, I have Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) and often experience anxiety and even panic attacks. The best action during a panic attack is inaction. Sitting in my own presence and letting the feeling pass through me, being mindfully aware, not fighting the feeling – all those are key inaction type of actions that help me effectively cope with panic attacks. There’s always a meditation as action in that case. That’s another good example of inaction as a call to action: being still, being mindful, just being.

Click Here To Enjoy My Anxiety Meditation

We will group feelings into negative and positive, but only for the simplicity of referencing them.

Feelings indicate what’s going on within and what needs to be done.

Fear helps us seek safety. Anxiety helps us prepare and plan for the future.

Not having this understanding of ourselves can be confusing and misleading. We can drift into avoidance of feelings when we don’t understand them. I did that.

I thought I was angry when actually I felt sad. I thought I was genuinely happy when actually I felt merely accomplished. I thought I was confident and extroverted when actually I was being an anxious introvert talking unstoppably just so others can’t notice my shyness and anxiety.

I avoided my feelings using various addictions.

Here’s a poem I wrote about feelings and my relationship with them over the years.

 "Feelings"  #PoemsFromGod
 
 Feelings are interesting and intriguing. 
 It's not easy to differentiate what you feel.
 Sometimes you think you're angry but it's just your ego.
 Other times you think you're indifferent but everyone sees your true zeal.
 
 So, how do you understand and embrace your feelings?
 It takes practice and it takes willingness to feel.
 To differentiate between mere sadness or true depression dealings,
 You need to study emotions, so you can process them and heal.  

10/17/17 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

Having a list of feelings as a reference guide is key to understanding ourselves. It’s an important part of our spiritual maturity and emotional development.

We tend to think of feelings that make us feel good as good feelings. Those feelings that cause us to experience discomfort we tend to consider negative.

That’s how the list of feeling words below is divided.

Positive Feelings

Happy, joyful, delighted, cheerful, glad, lighthearted, overjoyed, thrilled.

Satisfied, comfortable, pleased, positive, content, fulfilled, gratified.

Grateful, thankful, appreciative, special.

Caring, tender, thoughtful, considerate, loving, affectionate, devoted, warm.

Peaceful, harmonious, calm, comforted, cool, relaxed, serene, chill.

Friendly, courteous, agreeable, collaborative, empathic, sympathetic, welcoming.

Renewed, refreshed, restored, recharged, rejuvenated, revitalized, recovered.

Enthusiastic, hopeful, energetic, excited, eager, earnest, passionate, pumped, engaged, involved, vigorous, zealous.

Motivated, encouraged, inspired, moved, activated, influenced.

Amazed, surprised, enlightened, astonished, astounded, impressed.

Confident, bold, courageous, fearless, certain, secure, self-assured, gutsy, strong, resolute, audacious, tenacious, assertive, determined, relentless, intense.

Mindful, present, aware, alert, conscious, observant, respectful, cognizant, attentive, awake, receptive, wise, discerning, judicious, prudent, reasonable, sane, thorough, sober-minded.

Open, vulnerable, defenseless, sensitive, connected.

Creative, innovative, inventive, artsy, gifted, original.

Productive, effective, useful, efficient, competent, fruitful.

Successful, accomplished, thriving.

Negative Feelings

Anxious, burdened, apprehensive, concerned, nervous, restless, worried, distressed, uptight, guarded.

Insecure, unsure, hesitant, doubtful, self-conscious, embarrassed, humiliated.

Afraid, fearful, scared, frightened, overwhelmed, panicky, paralyzed, terrified, intimidated.

Guilty, responsible, ashamed, convicted, exposed, remorseful, sorry, regretful.

Frustrated, disappointed, let down, annoyed, grouchy, grumpy.

Deceived, controlled, manipulated, exploited, used, betrayed, fooled.

Traumatized, victimized, injured, damaged. hurt, disturbed, offended.

Angry, furious, irritated, provoked, enraged, aggravated, outraged.

Hostile, bitter, resentful, vicious, wicked, hateful, malicious.

Tired, exhausted, weak

Sad, depressed, mournful, sorrowful, heartbroken, grief-stricken.

Withdrawn, detached, indifferent, apathetic, avoidant.

Lonely, abandoned, deserted, isolated.

Confused, perplexed, bewildered, disoriented, puzzled, hazy, foggy-minded.

If you think that this list is incomplete, please comment below with your suggestions.

How to Use a List of Feeling Words

The only reason why you’d be reading this far is that you want to use this list of feelings to help yourself or someone you care about. That’s great! That’s what it’s for, so leverage it.

However…

It’s not always easy to remember to reference this list.

Why?

We get in the habit of sticking to our default emotions.

For me, this was anger until I turned 34 and it became anxiety.

You see, figuring out how we feel is a difficult task. It takes time, energy, and effort. Self-awareness requires practice. Emotional intelligence demands skill mastery.

Here’s how you can master your feelings by understanding and labeling them in order to differentiate and deal with them effectively.

How To Understand And Label Your Feelings

1. Print out this list of feeling words

Print this list of feelings so you can highlight, mark, comment on those feeling labels that you want to explore more or get confused about.

2. Make copies of the list of feelings for easy access anywhere

Copy your list of feeling labels so you can have it in the car, in your purse, at work, in the kitchen, and anywhere else you can easily access it whenever you journal or talk to someone about your emotions.

3. Reference this emotional feelings list every day

Refer to the list of feelings and emotions every day. It must be a habit, otherwise, you won’t benefit from it at all.

4. Find the word that best describes your feelings

Look at the feeling labels. Find those words that best describe how you feel. Say those words to help you and others better understand your moods and your inner world. Express yourself.

5. Learn and use feeling labels to talk about how you feel

Learn those words that you refer to the most. Use them in your journaling and in your conversations. Talk productively about how you feel, without generalization or confusion. Work on improving your self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

Example of How to Label Feelings

“I hate you and I just want you dead!” These were the words my mother shouted at me many times looking me straight in the eye, exploding with rage. I felt worthless, rejected, intimidated, and confused.

I came to America in 2008 to live my happily-ever-after with Prince Charming who dated me for years prior to my emigration. Soon, I found out that it was a typical case of a mail-ordered bride and I was simply enslaved and abused. In 2009, I was rescued by the police and lived in a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Stone Mountain, GA. Discovering that I was a mail-ordered bride made me feel exploited, tricked, deceived, and stupid. Being abused by Prince Charming made me feel dehumanized, commoditized, and worthless.

In this video I share my story of identity transformation from a mail-ordered bride to a child of God:

Developing the Habit of Using the “List of Feelings”

Getting in the habit of naming your feelings and processing them productively, instead of avoiding them, can transform your life.

It transformed mine. I used to avoid my painful feeling by losing myself in addictions. I don’t do it anymore because I’m not afraid to feel anything.

Learning all this about my feelings and making this process a daily habit has been difficult yet rewarding for me.

What I’ve learned I want to now share with you so that you can benefit from self-awareness and emotional intelligence. By the way, if this content is helpful, you may express your gratitude now:

My journey of exploring and embracing my feelings resulted in the birth of this poem, which I wrote for one of the podcast episodes of The Anna Szabo Show.

This poem is one of my favorites of all time because it’s brutally truthful and reflects exactly how this journey of studying emotions unfolded for me and the skills I learned.

Hope you enjoy it.

 
"Feeling The Feelings"  #PoemsFromGod 
 
 Do you know how to feel feelings?
 I mean - the whole range of them, all of them?
 Like fear, faith, joy, surprise from others' dealings,
 Like anger, peace, responsibility or defensiveness when people you condemn?
 
 Do you know how to feel sadness or to grieve appropriately?
 Like sitting down with your sad thoughts a cry?
 Like writing heartfelt entries in your journal openly,
 Without pretending and without saying a lie?
 
 But just really pouring your heart out,
 Just putting all your emotions in the universe,
 Just being open and vulnerable without a doubt,
 Just being yourself, who you are, without intentional rehearse?
 
 I've learned slowly how to feel my emotions.
 In the past, my primary feelings were anger and rage.
 I've been intentional about using the experience to write devotions
 To help you with your own emotions to engage.
 
 Please take the time to be still and feel uncomfortable.
 Please make it your priority to focus your mind -
 On the important intention of being vulnerable,
 So you can that place of healing within yourself find.
 
 There's actually nothing much more to it- 
 Just sit, be quite, be still and feel.
 When you're feeling though make sure you  do admit
 And label each emotion without pretending, be real.
 
 If you feel joy, say I feel joy now.
 If you feel sadness, say I'm very sad.
 If you're crushed, then the experience of pain allow
 By saying I'm in pain and on that in your journal reflect.

 You will feel odd and weird at first. It's normal,
 But so what, it's a skill like learning to drive a car
 Keep going, keep feeling, this process is very informal
 But I promise with time it will help you heal your every scar.  

9/24/17 © Anna Szabo, JD, MBA

How Emotional Feelings List Can Help You

This list of feelings can literally make your life so much better. Its potential depends on your commitment to leveraging the words and labels here to describe how you feel.

Below are the five benefits I personally experienced from using a list of emotions and feelings. I am confident that if you bookmark this page and come back here often, use the labels to communicate about your feelings, and practice it often without avoiding your emotions and their impact, you will reap the following benefits.

1. Increase Your Emotional Intelligence

Practice labeling your feelings in order to increase your emotional intelligence. Not only will you improve your own self-awareness, you’ll be able to also help others. You’ll enhance your empathy and improve your ability to relate to others. If you can’t figure out yourself, how can you figure out others?

2. Improve Your Communication Skills

Label your feelings as you communicate with people. Help them see what’s going on on the inside. Help them understand how things impact you. Don’t be general. Don’t confuse sadness with anger. Don’t get bitter when others let you down. Instead, communicate your expectations and boundaries. How can you know what you need if you have no awareness of how things, people, and events make you feel?

3. Enhance Your Boundaries In Relationships

Understand what triggers you. Name your emotions when you notice that certain things scare or aggravate you. How can you communicate your boundaries if you yourself aren’t aware of where you end and others begin?

4. Elevate Your Quality Of Life

Transform your life, improve its quality, experience more peace, have more joy! Once you stop avoiding your feelings and start understanding them, being in their presence without fighting them, you then will be able to enjoy your own company, get to know who you are, improve your level of comfort with yourself and around others, and you’ll love your life. How can you have a good quality of life when you’re running to escape yourself, yet anywhere you go YOU follow?

5. Expand Your Faith

Deepen your faith, expand it, once you understand what a masterpiece God made you. When you begin to be in the presence of your various feelings without indulging in food, sex, alcohol, drugs, or shopping, God will reveal Himself to you. How can you expand your faith when you spend no time in silence with God alone because you’re intimidated by your unknown feelings?

If you’d like to know how God feels about you, download my FREE BOOK OF DEVOTIONALS called #52Devotionals now.

Summary

To live a joyful and peaceful life, understanding yourself is essential. I used to think I was strong and powerful because I didn’t cry for years. Actually, I was masking my vulnerable feelings with addictions that possessed me. I was weak. My addictions were strong.

I learned to understand my feelings, be in their presence, feel vulnerable, face painful emotions with courage, and process them all, one at a time. Openness to feeling vulnerable made me strong. My vulnerability and humanity are my wonder power. I cry all the time. I can be fully human finally. And I am no longer an addict.

The ability to understand yourself improves with the practice of labeling your feelings and emotions.

To be able to label your moods, you need a list of feelings, the words that help you describe how you feel and what’s happening on the inside.

The more you practice understating and communicating your feelings, the greater will be your self-awareness, the higher will be your emotional intelligence, and the better will be your satisfaction with life, self, and relationships.

If you found this list of emotions and feelings valuable, share it with those who need to use it now.