What am I feeling?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houston, the city I was born and raised, is looking just about as chaotic as I’m feeling. The water, the trash, the traffic! I’ve been asked countless times recently how I’m doing, and to be honest, I’m really struggling to come up with the words of how what I am even feeling!
When the words escape my clients, I use to use a sentence completion technique. The premise is simple, basic prompts allow you to explore some common emotions. Maybe you are feeling one emotion, or a combination of a few. See if these prompts help get you down the path of pinning down your emotions:
I am happy because….
Something that is making me anxious is…
I’m mad at…
I love…
I grieve because…
I’m hopeful that…
I’m proud of…
I fear…
One of the things I love most about counseling is the ability to talk through these emotions. (It’s called talk therapy for a reason!) As we begin to successfully label our emotions, we can successfully learn to regulate painful emotions.
Written by: Kristina Zufall, M.Ed., LPC-Intern