A few weeks ago I wrote a post listing positive emotions. For many reasons we can find ourselves limited to just a few. But our vocabulary could be much wider, and we can use a wide range to describe a state beyond happy, sad, angry etc. Here’s the link to the positive emotions and in this post you can read more of the negative ones.
What can be helpful is to go through this list and make a note of any that you can easily identify with and use. Then maybe, to think about alternative ones that you could use, and they may be a better fit? Try them on for size, play with them and broaden your range of negative emotions.
This is helpful not only when you think about yourself, but also when you are relating to other people.
For example, when a friend says they feel sad or angry you can show you are listening. Don’t parrot back, repeating the words they said: “so you feel sad …” but instead use an emotion that shows more feeling. ‘being ghosted by your partner makes you feel alone and that there is no one there for you?
Here’s some words and will add to the list later, maybe ….
- Afflicted
- Afraid
- Aggressive
- Alarmed
- Alienated
- Alone
- Angry
- Anguish
- Annoyed
- Anxious
- Appalled
- Ashamed
- Abnormal
- Bad
- Bitter
- Boiling
- Bored
- Betrayed
- Cold
- Cowardly
- Cross
- Crushed
- Cheated
- Confused
- Dejected
- Depressed
- Deprived
- Desolate
- Despair
- Desperate
- Despicable
- Diminished
- Disappointed
- Discouraged
- Disgusted
- Disillusioned
- Disinterested
- Dismayed
- Dissatisfied
- Distressed
- Distrustful
- Dominated
- Doubtful
- Embarrassed
- Empty
- Enraged
- Evil
- Excluded
- Fatigued
- Fearful
- Forced
- Frightened
- Frustrated
- Fuming
- Grief
- Guilty
- Hateful
- Heartbroken
- Helpless
- Hesitant
- Hostile
- Humiliated
- Hur
- Incapable
- Incensed
- Indecisive
- Indifferent
- Indignant
- Inferior
- Inflamed
- Infuriated
- Injured
- Insensitive
- Insulted
- Irritated
- Lonely
- Lost
- Lousy
- Livid
- Miserable
- Misgiving
- Mournful
- Misunderstood
- Manipulated
- Nervous
- Neutral
- Nonchalant
- Offended
- Offensive
- Objected
- Overwhelmed
- Obstructed
- Pained
- Panic
- Paralysed
- Pathetic
- Perplexed
- Pessimistic
- Pessimistic
- Powerless
- Preoccupied
- Provoked
- Quaking
- Questioned
- Rejected
- Repugnant
- Resentful
- Reserved
- Restless
- Sad
- Scared
- Shaky
- Shy
- Sceptical
- Sorrowful
- Stupefied
- Sulky
- Suspicious
- Tearful
- Tense
- Terrible
- Terrified
- Threatened
- Timid
- Tormented
- Tortured
- Tragic
- Unbelieving
- Uncertain
- Uneasy
- Unhappy
- Unpleasant
- Unsure
- Upset
- Useless
- Unloved
- Unimportant
- Unconnected
- Victimized
- Worthless
- Worthiness
- Wary
- Weary
- Woeful
- Worked Up
- Worried
- Wronged
’Image by John Hain from Pixabay