What is the feelings wheel and how to use it to understand your emotions

What is the Feelings Wheel?

The Feelings Wheel is a visual tool designed to help people identify and understand their emotions more clearly. It categorizes a wide range of human emotions into different segments, making it easier to pinpoint exactly how you feel. Created by psychologist Dr. Gloria Willcox, the wheel’s purpose is to enhance emotional awareness and facilitate better communication and self-reflection.

Source: feelingswheel.com

How Does the Feelings Wheel Work?

The Feelings Wheel is structured into three layers: primary, secondary, and tertiary emotions. The innermost layer features core emotions such as joy, fear, anger, sadness, and surprise. These primary emotions are then broken down into more specific secondary emotions, which are further divided into tertiary emotions that provide an even more nuanced understanding. For example, the core emotion of “anger” may branch out into secondary emotions like “frustration” or “hostility,” and further into tertiary emotions such as “annoyed” or “enraged.” This structure helps individuals drill down to the root of their feelings, promoting a deeper understanding of their emotional state.

Why Use It?

The Feelings Wheel offers several benefits:

1. Improves Communication: By providing precise vocabulary for emotions, it helps people articulate their feelings more accurately to others.
2. Enhances Self-Reflection: It encourages users to think deeply about their emotions and why they feel a certain way.
3. Aids in Emotional Regulation: By identifying and understanding emotions, individuals can better manage their emotional responses and develop healthier coping mechanisms.
4. Supports Personal Growth: Regular use of the Feelings Wheel fosters greater emotional intelligence, which is key to personal and interpersonal development.

How to Use It?

Here are some steps to effectively use the Feelings Wheel:

1. Identify Your Core Emotion: Start by identifying the broad category of how you feel—are you happy, sad, angry, scared, or surprised?
2. Narrow Down Your Feelings: Use the wheel to explore the secondary and tertiary emotions that fall under your core feeling. This can help you articulate exactly what you are experiencing.
3. Reflect on Your Emotions: Take a moment to consider why you feel this way. What triggered this emotion? Understanding the context can help in processing the emotion.
4. Communicate Your Feelings: If needed, share your identified emotions with someone you trust or in a journal entry. Clear communication can lead to better understanding and support.
5. Practice Regularly: The more you use it, the better you will become at quickly identifying and managing your emotions.

How to Use the Feelings Wheel with davoci

davoci offers a unique and interactive way to use the Feelings Wheel. Here’s how:

1. Customize Your Experience: You can create personalized conversations with davoci.
2. Engage with the App: Open the app and ask davoci if it knows about the Feelings Wheel.
3. Talk Through Your Emotions: Use davoci like your inner voice to talk out your emotions. The app will help guide you through identifying your feelings based on the wheel.
4. Communicate Your Emotions: Practice articulating your emotions verbally to davoci. This can help you gain confidence in expressing your feelings.
5. Review Your Journal Entries: Use davoci’s conversation to journal feature to record how your emotions change over time and gain insights into your emotional patterns.

davoci is the simplest way to journal and get feedback with ideas from bestselling books. Simply talk and get insights. It’s like an always available coach.