The Feeling Wheel is posted above, a visual created by Gloria Willcox, that helps people talk about their emotions in a deeper way. If you are ever not sure about a word that will help you identify an emotion, take a look at this visual. It will help!

• Start by drawing how you are feeling right now using symbols, shapes, colors, lines etc on a blank piece of paper or in a drawing app. Think about the “why” as you draw to get deeper into your emotions and don’t worry about trying to name or identify what you are feeling in this moment.
• Optionally, share your drawing with your cohort.

Now we are going to think about naming our emotions. Some of the benefits of naming our emotions are below.

Benefits of Naming Emotions

Naming your emotions helps you get to know yourself better. When you can name what you’re feeling, you understand why you feel that way, which helps you understand yourself more.

When you can say exactly what emotion you’re feeling, it helps you tell others how you feel. This makes it easier for people to understand you and can make your relationships better.

Knowing what your emotions are called helps you control them better. Once you know what you’re feeling, you can figure out how to deal with it in a healthy way, like taking deep breaths or talking to someone about it.

Understanding your emotions can help you solve problems better. When you know why you’re feeling a certain way, you can work on fixing the problem that’s causing that feeling.

Naming your emotions can help reduce stress. When you can put a name to what you’re feeling, it can make you feel less stressed and more balanced emotionally.

• Reflect on your ability to pinpoint your emotions on the backside of your emotions drawing.
  • How easy was it for you to be able to identify how you were feeling?
  • Is it harder for you to name some of the emotions than others? 
  • How comfortable do you feel with your emotions?
• Look at the chart outlining the benefits of identifying emotions. Choose one benefit that resonates with you and share it with the class.
• Pinpointing your emotions is a great tool when you are using the PAUSE technique. This is when you take a minute to identify the emotion that is going through your head before reacting to the situation. The more closely you can identify your feelings, the better you will then be able to react with a calm, logical response.

How We Feel App: 10 minutes

• Download the How We Feel App.
• Log your first entry based on how you are feeling in this moment.

Homework:

• Continue to practice the PAUSE technique. Again, it is identifying the emotion that you are happening before reacting to a situation. This is incredibly healthy when in a conflict situation, but also is just great to take a few seconds to see how you respond to others and different situations.
• Use the How We Feel App to check in twice daily for a week. Ensure each check-in includes:
  • Who you were with.
  • What you were doing.
  • Where you were.

Post-Reflection: 10 minutes

• Reflect on the following prompts, through a video or written, and post on the designated path:

• • What have you learned about your emotional health this week?
  • What patterns exist this week?
  • What have you learned about pinpointing emotions? Did you notice any benefits?
  • How have using the PAUSE technique and pinpointing your emotions benefited your life? 

To continue, return to Module 3 Opportunity Card.