Posted by: Carlos R. Todd on: June 15, 2007
Emotional Vocabulary words
Here are a few more words to help you build your emotional vocabulary-One can say I feel feeble, filthy, on-fire, foggy, forced, miserable, messed up, mixed-up, molested, mislead, monopolized, out of balance, overloaded and undone.
The idea is being able to discriminate between emotions and to really PIN (perceive, identify and name) the emotion that comes before anger. For example there is a distinct difference between feeling foggy and unclear. To say that one feels foggy helps to explain further your state of disorientation.
The more precise we are in our emotions the more likely one can get their needs met. For example when one says that you feel monopolized and oppressed, this deepens the idea of feeling controlled. In such a situation a person can be in a constant state of defensiveness and will therefore be more likely to become explosive. Being clear that one is feeling monopolized is the first step to taking action to gain freedom from control.
The stronger the emotional vocabulary, the more precise the self talk and the more targeted the actions to respond appropriately to our emotional signals. In future articles I will continue to broaden this idea.
Carlos Todd, LPC, NCC, CAMF
President of the American Association of Anger Management Providers
Carlos Todd is the owner of Todd’s Anger Management Solutions in Charlotte, NC
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