Why I Love The Feeling Wheel
Updated: April 2026
Using The Feeling Wheel in Your Journaling Practice
The Feeling Wheel has become an invaluable resource in my journaling practice.
Its colourful design and range of emotions offer a structured way to explore and articulate what is often quite hard to name. It’s a tool I return to regularly, especially when I know I’m feeling a lot, but can’t quite put my finger on what that “a lot” actually is.
When I sit down to write about an event, an incident, or even just a moment of reflection, I ask myself a simple question:
How did this make me feel? Then I reach for The Feeling Wheel.
Instead of settling for one broad word like “fine”, “stressed”, or “tired”, I slow down and begin to name what is actually there. Usually, I can identify between five and ten emotions connected to a single experience.
And this is where something powerful begins to happen.
Why Naming Emotions Matters (The Science)
There’s a growing body of neuroscience research that supports this exact practice.
Studies led by Matthew Lieberman at University of California, Los Angeles show that when we name what we are feeling, activity in the amygdala (the brain’s alarm system) decreases. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for reasoning and regulation, becomes more active.
In simple terms: When you put feelings into words, you calm your brain.
This is why journaling works so effectively. Not just because we are expressing ourselves, but because we are regulating ourselves.
A Real-Life Example
(2024 - Out my actual journal :))
The past ten days in our home have been a whirlwind. I had two speaking engagements, addressing over 400 people in total. At the same time, my son, daughter, and I all fell ill. We spent nearly a full week in bed. There were nose swabs, constant coughing, too much medicine, interrupted sleep, and missed commitments. Thankfully, my husband Rowan stayed healthy and carried us through. When I sat down to reflect on the week, I realised I wasn’t feeling just one thing. I was feeling many things, layered together.
Here’s how The Feeling Wheel helped me name them more truthfully:
Emotions (More Specific, More Honest)
Grateful, Relieved, Supported
For a warm bed, access to medical care, and Rowan’s steady presence.Frustrated, Disrupted, Stretched
Sickness interrupted everything. Time, energy, plans. I felt pulled between resting and needing to show up.Anxious, Fearful, Hyper-aware
Sam’s coughing stirred something deeper in me. Not just concern, but a lingering fear connected to his previous pneumonia.Exhausted, Flat, Slowed Down
Not just physically tired, but emotionally depleted.
What Naming These Feelings Revealed
Once the emotions were named, the thoughts underneath them became clearer:
I don’t cope well with being sick. It forces me to stop in ways I wouldn’t choose.
There is still fear in me around Sam’s health that I haven’t fully processed.
I carry a pressure to show up well, even when I’m not well.
I am more tired than I’ve been willing to admit.
Why This Process Matters
Without naming the emotions, I might have simply said: “I’ve had a rough week.”
But that doesn’t actually help me understand myself.
When I take the time to name what I feel:
– I create distance from the overwhelm
– I move from reaction → reflection
– I begin to understand why I’m responding the way I am…
And that changes everything.
An Invitation
Next time you sit down to journal, try this:
Don’t stop at one feeling. Stay a little longer.
Use a Feeling Wheel if you can. Name five. Maybe even ten.
You might find that what felt overwhelming…becomes something you can actually hold.
Final Thought
When you name what you feel, you begin to change how you experience it.
And that is where journaling becomes more than reflection. It becomes transformation.
