Have you ever found yourself fumbling with words trying to explain how you feel?
If you lack in emotional vocabulary, you are at a disadvantage.
Expression is an inherent part of human nature. It is important to be able to make your feelings and emotions understood as you go through the complexities of life with both its good and bad experiences.
When you learn how to express your feelings in words, you will build new relationships, strengthen existing ones, and navigate yourself around better.
Why It Is Important to Express Your Feelings
The technical term for putting your feelings into words is called “affect labeling.”
This method has long been proven to help diminish the activity of amygdala (the part of the brain that responds to anxiety) as well as other regions of the brain that respond to negative emotions. In other words, when we name our feelings, it helps us to regulate them better.
There are also health benefits to expressing your feelings (something that comes naturally to extroverts.)
It is also said that writing down feelings can help improve the health outcomes of patients suffering from asthma, breast cancer, and trauma. As you can see, expressing our emotions do a whole lot of good for us.
Emotions Are Not Entirely Personal
We all think that emotions are a personal experience, but the truth is that it is affected by our culture.
For instance, the Germans have a rich vocabulary for different types of emotions, which is why they can express themselves a whole lot better than we can!
One of the most recent examples of a cultural standard that is affecting many people is the emphasis on happiness living. Teaching yourself to be happy again is not a bad thing. There is so much free literature on the internet concerning positive thinking, and you can take advantage of that.
For instance, signmeaning.com is a website dedicated to sharing positive words starting with all letters of the alphabet.
Why It Matters to Put Feelings into Words
1. It Helps You Understand its Origin
Contrary to what most people think, emotions are not dictated by events but by your thoughts. When you name your emotions, it will help you to realize that it is actually the way you think that creates your emotions. You will realize that your thoughts have a certain extent of ‘control’ over your feelings.
Physical sensations accompany our emotions. By practicing safe emotional processing, you will bring your awareness to your physical reactions and avoid getting caught up in your thoughts.
2. It Helps You Understand Yourself Better
When you can name the emotions you are going through, you will know yourself better and understand your needs, likes and dislikes, etc.
Let your emotions guide your decisions.
3. Makes You Understand Their Transient nature
Being able to identify your feelings easily will help you realize that they are transient in nature. This can spare you from a lot of suffering, especially if you’re a very emotional person.
It will transform you from a victim of your thoughts and emotions to a mere observer. You will become more “mindful.”
4. It Improves Relationships
We all know how important it is to talk about feelings in a relationship. When you are not able to find the right words to explain what it is that you are feeling, it creates a lot of misunderstanding with your partner.
When we lack the confidence to make ourselves understood, we will automatically avoid any conflict instead of talking about it, which would have been an opportunity to build more intimacy.
Anyone can learn how to express your feelings in words. I suggest you follow these three tips.
Three Things That Helps You Put Your Feelings into Words
1. Read
It’s obvious, but when you have the habit of reading, it enriches your vocabulary. It’s also comforting when you read about other people’s experiences as it gives you an insight into the emotions that you have felt but could not understand.
Develop a vocabulary that is more feelings-based by reading specific content. If you’re not in the habit of reading books, try reading a list of positive words every day. You will find plenty of free resources on the internet.
2. Learn Words That Describe Emotions
Research shows that when you can name an emotion, you’re more likely to be able to identify it when you experience it. The more you can concretely translate emotions from vague things, the easier it becomes for you to express yourself.
3. Contemplate on Your Feelings and Talk to Trusted Friends
If you want to get intimate with your feelings, you have got to get into the habit of contemplating about it. Introverts are better at this than extroverts. If you don’t do this often, make it a habit of being more introspective. You can try rituals like yoga, chilling music, or even binaural beats.
You can also discuss your feelings with a close friend. It will help you build your confidence when communicating feelings with others.
