This list provides various self-guided activities that will help you with connecting with your emotions and building emotional awareness and healthy emotional expression. Feel free to experiment with different techniques and see what resonates with you. This is by no means an all-encompassing list, nor should one feel obliged to do everything on it. Pick something to try out for a while, and stick with it if you like it. You can return to the list for new ideas another time!
1. "Writing Through Emotion" Poem Activity: I often recommend a specific exercise to clients that helps explore emotions through a "complete-the-sentence" format. This activity invites you to dive deep into a chosen emotion, allowing you to reflect and process it in a creative way. The end result is a meaningful poem, but what's most important is the process of creating it—not the final product (though I think it often turns out pretty cool). As you engage with this exercise, you’ll begin to uncover layers of your emotional experience that might otherwise remain hidden.
Click here for an example if you'd like to give it a try. For the best results, I suggest doing this exercise daily for 3 to 6 months to gain deeper emotional insight and expression.
2. Haiku Writing Exercise: Use the simple structure of a haiku (5-7-5 syllables) to reflect on an emotion or moment from your day. This encourages mindfulness and emotional expression in a creative way.
3. Guided Meditation/Imagery for Accessing Emotions: Try using guided meditation apps or videos that help you explore your emotional landscape. Focus on noticing what feelings arise without judgment.
4. Guided Imagery for Inner Child Work: Set aside quiet time to practice guided inner child meditations. These can help you reconnect with the vulnerable, little you that feels deeply and craves acknowledgement and compassion. This process moves us away from the pattern of repressing, shaming, and ignoring our needs and feelings while doing so from our "healthy adult" side - a loving, balanced, responsible figure that can be present with and comfort our inner child rather than allowing the inner child to spill over into our day-to-day living and interactions.
5. Phone Apps for Tracking Emotions (e.g., MoodNotes, Daylio): Use an app to track your emotions daily. Over time, you'll notice patterns and gain insights into how your feelings shift based on situations, helping you reflect more deeply.
6. Daily Journaling about Feelings: Make journaling a daily habit. Use prompts like "What am I feeling right now?" or "How did I respond emotionally today?" to guide your writing and explore your emotions more fully.
7. Using a Feeling Wheel/List: Keep a feeling wheel or emotion list nearby as a reference. When you’re unsure of what you’re feeling, use it to pinpoint the specific emotion and reflect on it. You can also use an emotion wheel (or regular list) to reflect on different emotions. Pick one and journal about when you last felt it or what triggers that emotion for you. This can help deepen your understanding of your emotional triggers.
8. Exercises to Increase Emotional Vocabulary: Expand your ability to name emotions by learning new feeling words. This will help you better understand and articulate what you're experiencing emotionally.
9. Body Scan Meditation: Practice body scan meditations to notice how emotions show up physically. This can help you become more aware of how your body reacts to different feelings throughout the day.
10. Art as Emotional Expression: Set aside time to draw, paint, or use other creative outlets to express your emotions visually. This is a great tool when you’re having difficulty verbalizing your feelings.
11. Emotion-Focused Breathing: Practice breathing exercises that center around sitting with and processing emotions. When you feel a strong emotion, take deep breaths and focus on staying present with it, rather than avoiding it.
12. Emotion Reflection with Music: Create playlists that align with different emotions. Listen to them when you're processing specific feelings, using music to connect with and explore your emotional states.
13. Mindfulness Practices for Emotional Awareness: Regular mindfulness exercises can help you become more aware of your emotions in real-time. Set a daily intention to pause and notice what you’re feeling, without trying to change or judge it.
14. Emotion Cards: Use emotion cards to explore what you're feeling throughout the day. Choose a card that resonates with you, and reflect on why that particular emotion is present. You can write about or meditate on your insights.
.png)