As humans, we have an incredible ability to express ourselves through language.

We use words to communicate our thoughts and feelings with those around us, but sometimes the words we choose don’t accurately reflect what we’re trying to say. That’s why it is so important for us to build up our emotional vocabulary – having a wide range of terms at our disposal allows us to not only articulate how we feel more precisely, but also better understand the emotional ranges of others.

Having a robust emotional vocabulary can help reduce misunderstandings in relationships by allowing people to clearly express the range of their feelings without resorting to vague or ambiguous phrases like “I feel weird about this situation” or “I don’t know how I’m feeling right now.” With greater clarity comes understanding and empathy – two essential components of any healthy relationship. For example, if we find ourselves saying, “I am furious” about any situation that causes us to feel angry, then it is difficult for others to interpret the seriousness of the situation.

Working to label the feeling more accurately can help us better figure out what need the emotion is trying to get us to pay attention to, so that we can effectively address it.

In addition, building your emotional vocabulary can help you become more self-aware, as well as better able to recognize when certain emotions are arising within yourself before they spiral out of control (e.g. irritation turning into hostility). In other words, if you only have emotional words that represent your anger being at a “1” or “100” then it is easier to go from “1” to “100” without making any stops along the way. The same can be said for feeling sadness; if we only use the word “depressed” to describe those moments, then we are more likely to get stuck in that feeling, as opposed to recognizing that we may actually be feeling hurt, alone, disconnected, or rejection. Working to label the feeling more accurately can help us better figure out what need the emotion is trying to get us to pay attention to, so that we can effectively address it.

Ultimately, learning new and various ways to describe our inner world is an invaluable tool that is helpful to cultivate throughout our lives. It can help us recognize our needs and wants, manage our feelings more effectively, understand the needs of others, and develop more meaningful connections!