Emotional vocabulary

[Swift]

I wonder if @mumstheword sent you the feelings wheel, because I totally would too.
French is a fantastic language.
One of the keys for me was circumventing the whole, "I need words to describe my feelings" thing.
I do better with colours or sounds, basically stuff that is more closely connected to feelings and also circumvents my language processes.
I can tell you that I feel like a minor 9th chord or a deep purple before I can tell you that I'm "upset" or "uncomfortable."
(I know you didn't ask, but there's a decent neuroscience explanation for this, which, very briefly, says that we don't process trauma with the part of our brains that processes language. Also, PTSD reinforces the disconnect between this part of our brains and language.)
The way I decided to get around that was to try things other than language.
Can I ask:
There are two problems here, for me. One is that I don't know what I'm feeling, that I'm unable to translate bodily sensations or 'feelings' into actual 'feeling words', and I only realise my feelings later, because my brain just doesn't make the connections automatically.
Two is that, I know I feel 'bad', but I'll say I'm angry when I'm sad, or I'm ok when I'm not, or any combination of mistaken feelings.
Is it both for you, or more one or the other, or something different?

 

[Freida]

One is that I don't know what I'm feeling, that I'm unable to translate bodily sensations or 'feelings' into actual 'feeling words',

EMDR T -- How are you feeling?
Me: I'm buzzing
EMDR T - what part of your body do you feel that in?
Me: I'm buzzing
EMDR T - What emotion do you feel?
Me: I'm buzzing..
EMDR T (bangs head against wall)

LOL

 

[Keen]

Is it both for you, or more one or the other, or something different?

Totally both of those things. I've gotten better at recognizing which sensations relate to which emotions, but its still a big struggle. And yeah, I often say "I'm okay" when I'm not or "I'm low" when I'm angry or sad or scared or any number of things.

 

[Ronin]

I'm going to try it over the next couple days and see if it works....

:roflmao::tup: Let us know how that works.

... and that would be my answer to emotional vocabulary. Switching languages. Me saying I am pissed off, no matter how long a rant or more like short, in English, is noowhere near being actually angry as when I say the same in Spanish. And some languages I have a promise with myself to not cuss in, not even come close, because there lies blood and milleniums grievances bottled there. Better stock that up to silence and forget it another decade.

 

[ms spock]

If you google images of emotions on faces, with the names of the emotions written underneath the faces, and print out those images and put it on your fridge then you can look at it every time you open the fridge.

 

[blackemerald1]

Some days the best I can describe about myself to anyone that calls..is 'yes I am still here." :speechless:

Amazingly there isn't a lot said after that.:unsure:

 

[MrMoonlight]

I think it's really useful to pinpoint where an emotion is coming from to better understand yourself. For me an "emotional word wheel" is an invaluable tool. I'll put a link to one below...

https://i.imgur.com/q6hcgsH.jpg

 

[Keen]

Thanks, @MrMoonlight , that emotion wheel is awesome!

 

[Sweetleaf]

I wonder if @mumstheword sent you the feelings wheel, because I totally would too.

When I first saw this thread it made me think of the feelings wheel, just from the title.

Someone in my trauma yoga group uses one, and has colored each of them in with a different color.

It's interesting you attach feelings to colors and musical chords - my history of jazz professor associated individual notes with colors, same with the chords.

 

[Swift]

That's super interesting!
To me, each note has a "personality", but not a colour.
Like, an F sounds really, really different to an A.
I wasn't born with perfect pitch though, unlike some people I know.
Chords, esp jazz chords, are amazingly expressive for me.

 

[Friday]

:bored: Happy
:bored: Sad
:bored: Angry
:bored: Amused
:bored: Would you care to rephrase what you just said, or would you prefer I rip your arm off and beat you to death with it?
:bored: Cheerful
:bored: Nervous
:bored: Excited
:bored: Exhausted


^^^
Sometimes I have difficulty with the whole face-chart-feelings thing

 

[ladee]

:joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful::joyful: @Friday, that's me too... no matter what, it's the one you used...