What Are You
Feeling?
Name the feeling first. Then follow the prompts to understand what it is carrying and what it needs.
Before You Name It
Take a breath before reaching for a word. Feelings live in the body before they become language. Notice what is physically present first.
Right now, where in your body do you feel something? What does it feel like physically?
What brought you here today? You do not need to explain it fully. Just name the general territory.
Find the Word
Naming a feeling precisely matters. A feelings wheel can help you move from a broad word like "bad" or "upset" toward something more specific, like disappointed, ashamed, or overwhelmed. The more specific the word, the more useful the reflection.
Is this the first word that came to you, or did you have to search for it? What did you pass through to get here?
Does naming this feeling make it feel more real, or does it bring some relief? Notice your reaction to the word itself.
Explore It
Use these prompts to move beneath the surface. Write without editing yourself. There are no right answers, only honest ones.
How long have you been carrying this feeling? Was there a specific moment it arrived, or has it been building?
What is this feeling a response to? What happened, or what did not happen, that brought it here?
Is this feeling familiar? Have you felt this way before, in other situations or with other people?
What does this feeling need you to know? If it could speak, what would it say?
Is there anything underneath this feeling? Feelings often stack. What might be sitting below the one you named?
After the Writing
These final prompts help you notice what shifted and what the feeling is asking for. Not every feeling needs to be fixed. Some just need to be witnessed.
Is the feeling the same as when you started, or has something shifted? Name what is present now.
What does this feeling need from you right now? Not from someone else, but from you toward yourself.
Is there anything you want to bring to your therapist, or sit with this week?
If you could say one thing to yourself right now with real kindness, what would it be?
A note on naming feelings
Research shows that naming a feeling, even just finding the word for it, reduces its intensity. That is not the same as making the feeling go away. It is a way of saying to your nervous system: I see what is happening here.