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This page was last updated on January 31, 2004
Here are "handles" to express your emotional state.
I THINK vs. I FEEL RULE
If you can substitute "I am" for "I feel", you have expressed a feeling. If you can substitute "I think" for "I feel", you have expressed a thought or a judgment.
Summary of Emotional Fitness
1. Notice: Ask yourself What am I feeing right now? Stay with the question a few moments if the answer doesn’t come right away. This is when it is importance not to give up. Be patient with yourself. Let the feeling be with you slowly.
2. Name: Use a word or words to name the feeling(s) you have. If you are alone, say the name(s) out loud: I’m really nervous about this exam.
3. Express: How can you externalize the feeling(s) right now? Use your imagination. Tell someone what you’re feeling. Find some “anxious” music on the radio, make and unmake a fist, sing, yell, write, sigh, smile. Do you see? It really make no difference what you do! Do something-anything! –to express the feeling.
From “Nothing’s Wrong: A Man’s Guide to Managing His Feelings” by David Kundtz.
HAPPY
Thrilled, ecstatic, overjoyed, excited, elated, sensational, exhilarated, fantastic, terrific, euphoric, enthusiastic, delighted, marvelous, great, happy, serene, wonderful, up, jovial, glad, contented, satisfied, gratified, pleased.
CARING Tenderness toward, affection for, devoted to, adoration, loving, cherish, fond of, regard, respectful, admiration, concern for, hold dear, prize, taken with, trust, close to, warm toward, friendly, like, positive toward.
DEPRESSED
Inadequate, dejected, hopeless, alienated, depressed, gloomy, dismal, bleak, in despair, empty, barren, grieved, grief, despair, grim, distressed, upset, downcast, sorrowful, demoralized, discouraged, miserable, pessimistic, tearful, demoralized, discouraged, miserable, pessimistic, tearful, weepy, rotten, awful, horrible, terrible, blue, lost, melancholy, unhappy, down, low, bad, blah, disappointed, sad, glum.
INADEQAUATE
Worthless, good for nothing, washed up, powerless, helpless, impotent, crippled, inferior, emasculated, useless, finished, like a failure, inadequate, whipped, defeated, incompetent, inept, overwhelmed, ineffective, lacking, deficient, unable, incapable, small, insignificant, unfit, unimportant, incomplete, no good, immobilized, lacking confidence, unsure of yourself, uncertain, weak, inefficient. FEARFUL
Terrified, frightened, intimidated, horrified, desperate, panicky, terror-stricken, dread, vulnerable, horrified, desperate, panicky, terror-stricken, dread, vulnerable, paralyzed, afraid, scared, fearful, apprehensive, jumpy, shaky, threatened, distrustful, risky, alarmed, butterflies, awkward, defensive, nervous, anxious, unsure, hesitant, timid, shy, worried, uneasy, bashful, embarrassed, ill at ease, doubtful, jittery, on edge, uncomfortable, self-conscious. CONFUSED
Bewildered, puzzled, baffled, perplexed, trapped, confounded, in a dilemma, befuddled, in a quandary, full of questions, confused, mixed-up, disorganized, foggy, troubled, adrift, lost, at loose ends, going around in circles, disconcerted, frustrated, flustered, in a bind, ambivalent, disturbed, helpless, uncertain, unsure, bothered, uncomfortable, undecided. HURT
Crushed, destroyed, ruined, degraded, pained, wounded, devastated, tortured, disgraced, humiliated, anguished, cast off, forsaken, rejected, discarded, hurt, belittled, shot down, abused, depreciated, criticized, defamed, censured, discredited, disparaged, laughed at, maligned, mistreated, ridiculed, devalued, scorned, mocked, scoffed at, used, exploited, debased, slammed, slandered, impugned, cheapened, put down, neglected, overlooked, minimized, let down, unappreciated, taken for granted. ANGRY
Furious, enraged, seething, outraged, infuriated, burned-up, pissed-off, fighting mad, violent, indignant, hatred, bitter, galled, vengeful, hateful, vicious, resentful, irritated, hostile, annoyed, upset with, agitated, mad, aggravated, offended, antagonistic, exasperated, belligerent, mean, spiteful, vindictive, uptight, disgusted, bugged, turned off, put out, miffed, irked, perturbed, ticked off, teed off, chagrined, cross, dismayed, impatient. LONELY
Isolated, abandoned, all alone, forsaken, cut off, lonely, alienated, estranged, remote, alone, apart from others, insulated from others, left out, excluded, lonesome, distant, aloof. GUILT-SHAME
Sick at heart, unforgivable, humiliated, disgraced, degraded, mortified, exposed, guilty, remorseful, crummy, to blame, lost face, dishonored, demeaned, regretful, wrong, embarrassed, at fault, in error, responsible for blew it, goofed, lament.