A List of Emotions
An emotion-wheel style vocabulary for noticing what you actually feel — because naming the feeling is the first step to steadying yourself.
Why naming emotions matters
When feelings are big and blurry, the body stays on alert. As soon as you can name what's happening — this is grief, this is shame, this is fear — a small amount of the load lifts. Researchers call this affect labelling, and fMRI studies show it quiets the amygdala (the brain's alarm) and brings the thinking part of the brain back online.
Most of us grew up with a very small emotional vocabulary — often just fine, tired, stressed, angry. This page and the free worksheet give you a wider one.
The emotion wheel
The wheel has three rings. In the middle are the core emotions most of us can spot. Around them are secondary flavours, and around those are more specific tertiary words. Read from the middle outward and pick whichever ring fits.
The full list
A printable version of everything below is on the identifying emotions worksheet.
Happy
- Content — Peaceful, Grateful, Satisfied
- Joyful — Playful, Excited, Delighted
- Proud — Confident, Hopeful, Valued
- Loving — Tender, Affectionate, Warm
Sad
- Lonely — Isolated, Left out, Abandoned
- Hurt — Disappointed, Rejected, Grieving
- Low — Flat, Heavy, Hopeless
- Vulnerable — Tearful, Fragile, Tender
Angry
- Frustrated — Irritated, Stuck, Impatient
- Resentful — Bitter, Let down, Jealous
- Furious — Enraged, Aggressive, Explosive
- Hurt-angry — Betrayed, Dismissed, Humiliated
Afraid
- Anxious — Worried, Restless, Overwhelmed
- Scared — Nervous, Panicky, On edge
- Insecure — Unsure, Small, Not enough
- Threatened — Trapped, Unsafe, Watched
Ashamed
- Guilty — Regretful, Sorry, Remorseful
- Embarrassed — Exposed, Foolish, Self-conscious
- Small — Worthless, Unlovable, Broken
- Hidden — Secretive, Withdrawn, Silenced
Numb
- Disconnected — Foggy, Detached, Floaty
- Shut down — Blank, Empty, Frozen
- Exhausted — Depleted, Heavy, Slow
- Unsure — Confused, Mixed, Can't tell
How to use the list in the moment
- Pause. Take one slow exhale, longer than your in-breath.
- Notice the body. Tight chest? Hot face? Heavy limbs? Emotions live in the body first.
- Pick the closest core emotion — happy, sad, angry, afraid, ashamed, or numb.
- Zoom in to a secondary or tertiary word if one fits better. It's fine to circle two or three.
- Say it plainly — out loud or in a journal: "Right now I feel …".
If the feeling is big — steady the body first
When emotion is very intense, the words don't come easily. That's not a failure — it's the nervous system running the show. Try one of these grounding techniques first, then come back to the wheel:
- 5-4-3-2-1 senses exercise — arrive back in the room using sight, sound and touch.
- Box breathing — slow the exhale to signal safety to your body.
- Progressive muscle relaxation — release the tension emotion tends to lock in.
- Body scan — a gentler option that simply notices each area.
For a wider tour of these tools, see the free grounding techniques for anxiety guide.
Related reading
- What is emotional dysregulation? — why feelings can flip into overwhelm.
- The Circle of Control — sort what to do with the feeling once you've named it.
- What is a trigger? — recognising the body's alarm before it becomes a spiral.
Try the free worksheet
Download the free identifying emotions worksheet to work through what you're feeling right now and pick your next small step.