How to Express Your Emotions in English: A Comprehensive Guide
Someone can ask, “How are you doing today?”
I’m OK, thanks for asking!
It’s more like, “No, how are you?”
“I am….”
The inquiry “how are you truly feeling?” may be difficult for native English speakers and language learners to answer.
Maybe you’re ecstatic because you just won first place in an art exhibition.
Possibly you’re freaking out over the job interview you have tomorrow.
Or maybe you’re confused because you have no idea what some of these sentimental terms represent.
Finding the perfect words and phrases to explain your feelings in English might be challenging, mainly if you are a beginner.
This article will teach you a wide range of expressions in English for describing your Bright as well as an upset state so that the next time someone asks you how you are doing, you will have an answer ready.
Here are some helpful resources for learning how to express your emotions in English.
Feel free to use these tools to begin discussing and writing about your emotions with more ease before we go on to learning some new terminology for them.
Feelings may be sung about and named in children’s songs.
Listening to children’s songs on YouTube is a fun method to pick up a new vocabulary for expressing various emotions.
If you commit the words of a song to memory, you’ll soon find that you’ve also remembered a substantial amount of vocabulary. Listen to these tunes by DreamEnglishKids and FunKidsEnglish that are centered on evoking emotions.
Take a few minutes daily to jot down a few phrases describing your feelings. If you find yourself at a loss for words, do your best to convey your feelings as precisely as possible with the language at your disposal.
By keeping a mood journal, you may learn to write better and get perspective on your emotions.
How to Express Your Emotions in English: A Comprehensive Guide
There are seven fundamental feelings.
Identifying and recognizing your emotions is the first step toward communicating them. As a result of our wide range of emotional experiences, we often misidentify our feelings as something else. Anxiety, which often masquerades as rage, is one emotion that might be mistaken for another. Of course, there are instances when we know exactly how we feel; all we need is the appropriate words.
Many terms in English may be used to express how we feel physically, emotionally, and psychologically. As you attempt to articulate your emotions, it might be somewhat overpowering. To make it easier to express yourself, we have categorized your range of emotions into seven positive and negative states.
When the moment comes for you to express your feelings to another person, keep in mind the following:
- Having fun may be as simple as viewing a beautiful sunset or as complex as spending time with the people you care about most.
- Sadness: It’s easy to feel down after seeing an emotional film and thinking about happier times or possibilities squandered.
- When something suddenly frightens you, or when you recall an incident that terrified you in the past, you may feel fear.
- Anger may be an instantaneous reaction or the result of pent-up frustration.
- Disgust is an emotion that may be triggered by various stimuli, including other people’s actions, certain foods, and even certain odors.
- The suddenness and the element of surprise make surprise a powerful emotion, capable of eliciting a wide range of responses, from delight to rage.
- Embarrassment may be caused by various factors and can cause one to feel out of place or awkward in their immediate surroundings.
Recognizing and Naming Your Emotions
Just because you can name a wide range of feelings doesn’t guarantee you’re good at recognizing them in yourself. It might be challenging to find that inner connection amid a powerful emotion. In retrospect, you may be able to put a name to your feelings, but by then, it’s usually too late.
Recognizing your emotions requires paying attention to how your body responds. Your face will start to feel hot, and your cheeks flush crimson when you feel humiliated. Feelings of fear or anxiety may make it challenging to relax via deep breathing. Do you get nervous before every presentation you give?
Our emotional lives are intricately intertwined with our bodily experiences. Researchers have already identified some emotions’ neural circuits. Please pay close attention to what your body is telling you, regardless of the form it takes.
Think about the physical responses you’ve had recently. Your body’s reactions may begin to show certain regularities over time. To better comprehend our emotions, reflecting on previous events and experiences might be helpful.
We can help you learn techniques to increase your emotional well-being awareness. But try not to dwell too much on the past. Reducing our pace and re-centering our attention on the present moment might help us better understand our emotions. However, this is not something that can be learned immediately. BetterUp is there to assist you if you need more assistance.
Having finally reached the meat of this piece, how do you feel?
You’ll see that I’ve divided this lexicon into positive, negative, and neutral categories, each corresponding to a particular emotional state.
When you’re in a good mood, here are 11 English words.
There is a strong probability that you are experiencing one of the following feelings if you are in a pleasant or cheerful mood.
Glad
The emotion associated with being “glad” is one of pleasure, joy, or delight.
You will likely feel happy when something nice happens or you hear good news.
In the end, Rita was relieved to learn that she had done well on her English test.
Content
To be content indicates that you are entirely pleased with your current situation and have no desire for change. (Stress the “con” in “content” while pronouncing this.)
Having his whole family and closest buddy in the same place makes him happy with his decision to remain in his hometown.
Elated
Elated describes an extreme state of delight that goes beyond simple contentment.
If the guy you like asks you out, or if you get the promotion you’ve been working for, you can feel thrilled. ‘Overjoyed’ is another option.
I was overjoyed when I learned I had won first place in the painting competition and $100.
Ecstatic
To be ecstatic is to feel much happier than delighted. It’s the most comfortable you can get in this world.
Feelings of extreme (profound) happiness characterize ecstasy.
When Maria discovered she was going to Paris with her parents this summer, she was overjoyed.
Excited
Being enthusiastic means one is looking forward to something with great anticipation.
They hadn’t seen each other in almost a decade, so she was looking forward to catching up with her cousins.
Eager
You could feel antsy when anticipating something or waiting for something to happen. If you’re very excited about something, you can be more driven to see it through.
Because Rowena is motivated to perfect her English pronunciation, she does so daily.
Proud
Put another way: when you put in a lot of effort and get great results, you can feel pleased.
I spent two months on that painting and was pleased with how it came out.
Tranquil
To be tranquil is to be at peace and serene.
After a morning stroll on the beach, I found a sense of calm.
Hopeful
To have hope is to want something and believe it is likely to come true.
The coach thought his squad was putting in a lot of effort and thought they had a good shot at winning the next game.
Confident
Said having faith in one’s talents is indicative of a confident disposition. You have complete confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Jeet felt somewhat confident about how well he had performed throughout the interview.
Loved
Loving someone believes they care about you and only want the best for you.
I felt cherished by my friends and family while I recuperated in the hospital.
Common English Phrases to Use When Depressed
Is anything wrong, or are you just in a sour mood today? You might try using the phrases below to put your thoughts across.
- I meant “sad” or “unhappy,” respectively when anything negative or tragic occurs in one’s life.
- She felt great sadness when she found out that her closest friend was leaving town.
- If you’re feeling down and that melancholy won’t go away, you may be suffering from depression. Although clinical depression is an actual medical condition, some English speakers use the word “depression” to denote severe sorrow (as in, “That’s depressing” as an emotional reaction to a traumatic event).
- Rey suffered from depression for a long time after the death of her spouse.
- When someone says they are “feeling down,” they mean they are sad.
- I was feeling low after receiving the news, but my buddies came over to lift my spirits (make someone happy).
- Something makes you feel disgusted when you strongly disapprove of it or when it makes you sick to your stomach.
- Disgusted, Harry threw out his glass of water after seeing a lizard had been sipping from it.
- When you have wronged someone, especially by making them feel awful, you are prone to experience feelings of remorse.
- Martha was very sorry for her rudeness to the store owner.
- You’re feeling miserable and in agony when you’re emotionally or physically hurt.
- When his parents failed to recognize his birthday, he was very saddened.
- You’re likely lonely if you’re feeling down and alone. If you can’t find a way to connect with the people around you, even a room full of people might make you feel lonely. To a lesser extent, you may experience feelings of isolation in the second scenario.
- After the breakup with his fiancée, he felt very alone.
- It’s possible to become furious when things don’t go your way or when other people maltreat you.
- The ship’s captain was furious with his crew for ignoring his instructions.
- To envy someone, you desire what they have but cannot have it for yourself. Envious is another term for jealous.
- Joe’s success in the entertainment industry caused tension between him and his buddy Ben.
- Feeling afraid means you have a lot of anxiety and apprehension about something. Flying on an aircraft might be terrifying, but it’s not the only thing that can make you nervous.
- After seeing a giant snake in the area, she became quite reluctant to enter the lake for a swim.
- Feeling apprehensive if you’re worried about the future or can’t put your finger on what’s making you uneasy is normal.
- It was difficult for me to rest while my brother was in the hospital.
The English Language: Eleven Other Emotions
Don’t you love it when you finally figure out the proper term to describe how you feel? The correct times for a few more universal emotions are provided below.
- Meaningful Confusion: Do you recognize the discomfort of not knowing right from wrong? Or maybe you have no idea what to do since everything seems hazy and undefined. That’s what we call “confused.”
- Even though I found the material difficult, the professor’s lecture added to my confusion.
- Something out of the usual or unanticipated might catch you off guard and leave you feeling shocked.
- When her boyfriend came home with a dog, she was floored.
- When you’re curious about something, it’s because you’re interested in it and want to learn more about it.
- Brad wondered what was in the closed closet his parents never let him open.
- Feeling bored may occur when you are uninterested in or unable to engage in a particular activity.
- I slept off throughout the film because I was so bored.
- The emotion of longing for a bygone era while knowing that such a return is unattainable is what we mean when we talk about being “nostalgic.”
- After reminiscing with his granddaughter about a vacation they did more than a decade ago, he felt pretty sentimental.
- Regardless of whether or not something makes you happy or sad, you are said to be indifferent to it. To be indifferent implies a lack of interest in or concern for a subject.
- She looked uninterested when I recommended she pick up an instrument in her spare time.
- Definition of “Strange”: an emotion that is out of the ordinary or uncommon.
- Everyone was silent when I stepped into the party and immediately felt out of place.
- The term “ambivalent” refers to a state of mind in which one is torn between two competing alternatives or a subject or feels both positive and negative emotions.
- His mixed feelings about his promotion stemmed from his excitement at the higher salary and concern over the increased workload.
- You feel mystified if you are wholly perplexed and can not see a way out of your predicament.
- I couldn’t understand a word because of the book’s complex English.
- I was the meaning of “pensive”: to be in a reflective or contemplative frame of mind.
- After being questioned by her parents about her plans, she contemplated her options.
- To be wistful is to have profound introspection tinged with melancholy or depression.
- She was melancholy for weeks after the vehicle tragedy.
- There are hundreds of terms in English for labeling and describing emotions, but the ones you learned in this article should get you started immediately.