Emotion color wheel

When I ask people how they feel, almost every day I hear vague descriptions of “good” or “fine” or “bad”…

It can be really difficult sometimes to sort out the mixture of emotions within us. I use this wheel every day in sessions to support a client’s effort to investigate their “good” or “bad” to find more specific words. Words are power and give us the communication tools needed to help others (and ourselves!) understand how we really feel.

How to Use:

Start at the center with the 6 core emotions: anger, fear, love, joy, surprise, and sadness. Think of these as the 6 emotion families and pick the one that is closest to how you feel. Then, go into the next outer ring and look at the choices of the same color. If those don’t fit how you feel, try going into the last ring. If you’re still struggling to find the right word, try another emotion family.

It’s totally normal to find several words from multiple emotion families to describe how you feel. Humans are very complex and often have conflicting emotions! Think of that bittersweet moment when you have to say goodbye to someone so you can start the next chapter of your life. Or that tangy mixture of surprise and fear when someone jumps out at you as a joke.

Due to the complexity of this wheel, I recommend using it for individuals aged 12+.

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