The Emotions Wheel

Sometimes emotions can be big and intense (ask my 6-year old daughter!), and other times they’re quiet, buried away, and harder to recognize. If you’re feeling frustrated and angry, it might be difficult to point to just one feeling, but having several to choose from may help you to zero in on exactly what’s going on inside. Enter the Emotions Wheel…

What is the Emotions Wheel?

This is a fabulous tool for us to identify and deeply understand what we are feeling. Often times we think we might be feeling one emotion but when we explore more and dig deeper, we realize that we are actually feeling something completely different! And this can lead to a coaching breakthrough.

The Emotions Wheel is a great tool to enhance your emotional intelligence and better understand what makes you tick.

How to use the Emotions Wheel?

The Emotions Wheel is divided into three concentric circles, comprising of primary, secondary, and tertiary feelings. To begin, start in the inner most circle and identify which broad emotion you are experiencing (this could be a current feeling or something you went through in a specific moment in time). This is going to give us clues as to your general sense of how you are feeling and function as a starting point for further exploration.

You are then going to dive into the secondary circle within that emotional slice of pie. This is going to help narrow us down to the nuances of what you are feeling. Lastly you will delve into the outer most layer of the Emotions Wheel which will give us subtle differences that make each emotional experience unique. If when you get to the outermost layer, and you do not identify with any of the emotions listed, you may want to go back one or two layers and revisit your emotions and what exactly you are/were feeling.

Why should I used the Emotions Wheel?

This is an excellent resource for better understanding ourselves and our communication style. It allows us all to safely explore our feelings and express them more accurately. It is a powerful business and personal relationship tool. Additionally, it can support your mindfulness practice, help with emotional regulation, and get you becoming more aware of emotional patterns and triggers. Pretty cool, right?!

Why not dive in and explore your emotions right now.