Emotion Vocabulary

Scientists think everyone in the world shares a few basic feelings, no matter where they live. These are feelings like happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, and disgusted. But feelings are not always simple. Sometimes two feelings mix together and make a new one. If you feel a little bit scared and a little bit sad at the same time, you might call that worried. If the scared part gets stronger and is about something that has not even happened yet, that is anxious. Learning the names for lots of different feelings helps you understand yourself better. It also helps you tell people exactly how you feel, instead of just saying good or bad.

Our faces show our feelings without us saying a single word. When someone is proud, they often stand tall with a big smile. When someone is embarrassed, their cheeks might turn red and they may look down or hide their face. A worried face often has a wrinkled forehead and eyes that dart around. A jealous look might come with a frown and eyes that keep checking what someone else has. Learning to read faces helps you notice how your friends and family feel, even before they say anything. Try practicing at home. Make a proud face, then a worried face, then an embarrassed face, and notice how different each one feels.

Everybody feels down sometimes. You might feel sad, lonely, or anxious, and that is okay. Lonely means you wish you had someone to be with, even if people are nearby. Anxious means your body feels jumpy and worried about something that might happen. Here are things that can help. Take slow, deep breaths to calm your body down. Talk to someone you trust about how you feel. Get outside and move your body, even for just a few minutes. Do something kind for someone else, which can help lonely feelings shrink. Feelings come and go like weather. A cloudy day does not last forever, and neither does a hard feeling.

Losing a game or not doing as well as you hoped brings up strong feelings. You might feel disappointed, which means you wanted something to go one way, but it went another way. You might also feel frustrated, which is more like an itchy, stuck feeling when something is not working the way you want. Disappointed is usually softer and about one specific result. Frustrated is often about wanting to try again right now. Both feelings are normal after losing. A good next step is to notice the feeling, say its name to yourself, take a breath, and think about what you could try differently next time.

Grateful is the warm feeling you get when you notice something good in your life and appreciate it. It could be as big as a loving family or as small as a sunny day. When you feel grateful, you focus on what you have instead of what you wish you had. One easy way to practice gratitude is to think of three things you are grateful for before bed each night. They do not have to be huge. Maybe you are grateful for a fun game you played, a snack you liked, or a friend who made you laugh. The more you notice these good moments, the easier it gets to feel grateful, even on harder days.