More Words for Your Feelings

Think about the last time something happened that made you feel a strong emotion. Maybe you had great news, or something went wrong. You probably have a word for it — but is it the best word? Most people use only about five or six feeling words every day, but scientists who study emotions say humans can experience over two hundred different feelings. Today you are going to grow your feelings vocabulary — that means learning new words to describe exactly how you feel.

Big feeling words like 'happy', 'sad', and 'angry' are useful, but they are quite broad — like saying every colour is just 'light' or 'dark'. When you use a more precise word, you help yourself and others understand exactly what is going on inside you. Think of feelings like a zoom lens on a camera. 'Happy' is zoomed all the way out. Zoom in a little and you might find: excited (buzzing energy about something coming), proud (a warm glow because you did something well), or grateful (a warm feeling because someone helped you). Zoom in on 'sad' and you might find: lonely (wishing someone was with you), disappointed (you expected something good but it did not happen), or worried (thinking about something that might go wrong). Zoom in on 'angry' and you might find: frustrated (blocked from doing what you want), jealous (wishing you had what someone else has), or embarrassed (hot-faced because people noticed something about you). Here is an important idea: feelings can also be mixed. You might feel nervous AND excited at the same time before a school play. There is even a word for that mix — 'nervous excitement' or 'anticipation' (ant-iss-ih-PAY-shun), which means looking forward to something while also feeling a little unsure. Knowing the right word matters because it helps you explain yourself, and it helps other people respond in the right way.