#MY EMOTIONS WHEEL SERIES#

I also feel this wistful affection for experiences and eras I didn’t actually live through that somehow still hit home: like when I watch My So-Called Life or Freaks and Geeks or when I remember high school as being a less painful time than it actually was.Įmotional Myopia : consumed by my own nearsightedness and inability to parse the bigger picture like putting together a puzzle of an impressionist painting, the brushstrokes on each piece make it difficult to see how two pieces fit together, let alone what the final product might be, because I’m so consumed by the texture of one individual piece. Nostalgia in Sepia : moved by the inevitable passage of time sentimentality toward eras past and the quintessence of childhood how I feel when I listen to The Circle Game. I’ve been trying to find ways to pull myself out of this feeling: embroidery, writing, cutting my hair sometimes they work and sometimes they backfire, but at least I can name the unbearable flatness of being. I felt so weighed down by the world and lacked the motivation to do much of anything. Anna opened the video as she was getting undressed to put on her pajamas, and her college roommates opened her door to find her sobbing uncontrollably in just her underwear.įlatness : akin to languishing, this feeling dominated my winter of 2021. I shared this story with my sister Anna, and she recounted a time when my mom recorded a video of herself reading The Going to Bed Book and sent it to my sister and me we watched my mother’s weathered hands turn the cardboard pages of this beloved book as she narrated aloud. All I could say in response was, “My mom wrote a poem about me.” I did not open an email revealing painful news or tragedy. I could only respond truthfully, “Nothing.” No action had taken place. He came back to find me weeping and, alarmed, asked, “What happened?” I read it in my kitchen and started crying while my boyfriend set up a Netflix show in the next room. It arrived in my inbox on a Saturday evening. Recently, she wrote a sonnet inspired by the contents of my childhood bedroom and one of our shared favorite songs, Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.” She titled her poem “Remnants of the Revolving Years.” My poet-mother has been participating for years and when April rolls around, she often sends me her poems in progress. My mom and I have not always been the best face-to-face communicators, but our relationship has evolved and deepened through writing-often in the form of email correspondence.Īpril is National Poetry Writing Month ( NaPoWriMo ), a challenge to write 30 poems in 30 days. When I finally told my parents I’d been diagnosed with anorexia during the pandemic, I simply sent an email late at night with the subject line: Update. Sometimes having clarity about your emotions allows you to accept them for what they are and is sufficient enough for you to move forward.I had just discovered I could sign my name with a tilda and that is how I would end every email.Įven now, relaying information in written form feels infinitely more doable than in person. This can mean changing your routine, doing activities that boost your mood, talking to a friend about what’s been going on, or writing in your journal about it. Take action: Once you’ve identified the reasons for how you’re feeling, you can take action to manage your reaction to them and deal with the triggers.

You may be feeling lonely and isolated and craving some social interaction.

However, it’s been months since you’ve seen your friends. For instance, maybe you’re feeling sad but nothing sad happened that day. Spend some time reflecting on your day, past week, month, or even year.

#MY EMOTIONS WHEEL SERIES#

When people are emotionally heightened, it’s often not due to a single event but a series of experiences.

Reflect on why you’re feeling this way: The next step is to dig a little deeper to discover potential causes for these feelings.

Giving words to those feelings can help you feel more in control of them. Look at the wheel and go through the list of emotions to find one or more that describes that feeling. Name your emotion: Maybe you had a bad day at work.

My emotions wheel