JUST HOW AWARE ARE WE OF OUR FEELINGS?

 INCREASING AWARENESS OF FEELINGS

You can increase your awareness of feelings by spending time thinking about them.  The more you practice it, the more conscious of them you will become.

There are hundreds of emotional states and blends of emotional state.  The scientific debate is not yet resolved about whether there are primary emotional states (like the red, blue, yellow of the colour spectrum) from which all the others are derived, and if so which they are.  

Many researchers classify emotional states into families.  The following list is based on Daniel Goleman's list of the main candidates, and some of their family members:

ANGER

Angry, furious, outraged, resentful, exasperated, frustrated, indignant, vexed, annoyed, irritated, disappointed, misunderstood, despised, insulted, injured.

SADNESS

Sad, Unhappy, grieving, sorrowful, gloomy, lonely, dejected, discouraged, disheartened, demoralised, miserable, despairing.

FEAR

Worried, anxious, apprehensive, nervous, concerned, wary, doubtful, alarmed, hurt, intimidated, frightened, terrified.

ENJOYMENT

Happy, joyful, relieved, content, delighted, amused, proud, thrilled, gratified, satisfied, blissful, ecstatic, respected, understood.

LOVE

Love, accept, trust, respect, adore, warm, friendly, kindly, close, devoted, proud of, impressed.

SURPRISE

Surprised, astonished, amazed.

DISGUST

Disgusted, contemptuous, disdainful, scornful, averse, revolted.

SHAME

Ashamed, guilty, embarrassed, remorseful, humiliated, regretful, mortified, contrite.