What Are Feelings Wheels?
Have you ever found yourself caught in a whirlwind of emotions, unsure of how to describe exactly what you’re feeling? Maybe there was a day when you felt something brewing beneath the surface—frustration, sadness, anxiety—but when someone asked how you were doing, all you could muster was, “I’m fine.” Emotions can be incredibly complex, and sometimes, even when we’re feeling something deeply, putting those feelings into words is tough.
That’s where feelings wheels come in.
Feelings wheels are visual tools designed to help you or your clients identify and name emotions more easily. But they don’t stop at just labeling feelings. They help you recognize patterns, connect with underlying triggers, and understand how different emotions interact. For example, the Types of Trauma Triggers Wheel breaks down the thoughts, memories, and sensory experiences that may trigger traumatic emotions, providing a roadmap to understanding how external stimuli might affect emotional responses.
By using a wheel like the DBT Feelings/Skills Wheel, clients not only learn to name emotions like anger, shame, and sadness but also gain insight into actionable skills they can use to cope with these emotions, such as radical acceptance and opposite action. These wheels are more than just visual aids—they're tools for deeper self-awareness and emotional regulation.
Understanding Your Feelings and Behavior Using an Emotion Wheel
Emotions and behavior are closely linked. Think about a time when you snapped at a loved one, only to realize later that it wasn’t really their actions that upset you—it was your own stress or worry bubbling to the surface. In the heat of the moment, you may not have realized it, but understanding your emotions could have changed your response.
Using an emotion wheel like the Trauma Response Behavior Wheel allows you to trace your behavior back to the root emotions, helping to explain why certain situations may lead to aggressive or avoidant reactions. Perhaps you weren’t simply "angry" during that conflict—you may have felt abandoned or triggered by a past experience. By pinpointing this with the help of a wheel, you gain clarity on why you acted the way you did, which allows you to address the root cause and prevent similar situations in the future.
For therapists, working with a tool like the ADHD Emotions/Sensation Wheel can offer clients a chance to better understand how sensory overload or executive functioning issues might impact their emotional states, leading to behaviors like frustration or distraction. By identifying these connections early, clients can become more mindful of their triggers and learn to respond in healthier ways.
Understanding your emotions is more than just an intellectual exercise—it’s a key part of regulating your behavior. Once you know why you’re feeling a certain way, you’re better equipped to manage those emotions and respond to situations with clarity and calm.
Benefits of Using an Emotion/Behavior Wheel
The power of a feelings wheel goes beyond just identifying emotions—it opens the door to deeper self-awareness and emotional regulation. Whether you're using it for personal growth or within a therapeutic setting, feelings wheels provide practical benefits that extend far beyond the moment of discovery.
One of the main benefits is the ability to expand your emotional vocabulary. Have you ever felt something deeply but struggled to find the right word for it? A feelings wheel can help you move from a vague sense of unease to understanding that you're feeling overwhelmed or even guilty. By naming emotions with greater accuracy, you gain a better understanding of what's really happening beneath the surface. This, in turn, helps clients and individuals improve their communication, whether it's in relationships, the workplace, or therapy sessions.
Another significant benefit is the insight into emotional patterns. As individuals regularly engage with emotion wheels, they start to see recurring feelings and triggers. For example, the Types of Trauma Triggers Wheel is designed to help identify the various triggers—thoughts, memories, sensory inputs, or social situations—that can lead to emotional overwhelm. For someone recovering from trauma, using this wheel can be a vital step toward recognizing patterns that they hadn’t seen before, making it easier to manage their triggers.
For therapists, the DBT Feelings/Skills Wheel offers a structured way to teach clients about dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills, like mindfulness and emotional regulation. Imagine a client who often feels lost in a swirl of emotions but doesn’t know how to cope. Using this specific wheel, therapists can guide clients through techniques like grounding, radical acceptance, and building mastery, helping them translate their emotions into actionable steps.
Whether it's the Anxiety Wheel, which breaks down the spectrum of anxious feelings, or the Self-Care Wheel, which prompts reflection on how to restore emotional balance, each wheel offers a unique set of benefits tailored to different emotional and behavioral needs.
Using these tools consistently can lead to long-term benefits such as:
Better emotional awareness
More effective communication and relationship-building
Reduced anxiety and improved coping strategies
Greater clarity in understanding trauma triggers and responses
By making emotions visible and understandable, these wheels give both clients and individuals the tools they need to not only identify their feelings but also take charge of their emotional journeys.
The 15 Different Feelings Wheels and Their Uses
Now that we’ve explored the benefits of using feelings wheels, let’s dive into the specific types of wheels available in the 15 Different Feelings Wheels set and how each can be used to support emotional awareness and growth. Each wheel in this set has been carefully designed to address a particular aspect of emotions, behavior, or self-care, offering tools for both personal and professional use.
1. Types of Trauma Triggers Wheel
This wheel helps individuals identify common triggers that can set off emotional or physical responses related to trauma. From external factors like sensory overload or specific dates to internal triggers like intrusive thoughts or memories, this wheel provides a detailed overview of what might cause someone to feel emotionally overwhelmed. For clients working through trauma, this wheel offers clarity and can be used to track triggers and understand how they relate to their emotional responses.
2. DBT Feelings/Skills Wheel
Rooted in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), this wheel connects emotions to coping strategies, making it an excellent tool for therapists working with clients who need help regulating their emotions. For example, when a client identifies feelings of sadness or despair, the wheel provides DBT skills such as radical acceptance and mindfulness as potential coping mechanisms. It offers both emotional identification and actionable solutions, making it a practical resource for therapy sessions.
3. The Places We Go When (Atlas of The Heart) Wheel
Inspired by Brené Brown’s work, this wheel maps out the range of emotions experienced during key life moments. It breaks down complex emotional experiences, from feelings of connection and belonging to heartbreak and vulnerability. Clients who struggle with navigating these deep emotional states can use this wheel to better understand their feelings and begin to articulate what’s happening internally during significant life transitions.
4. ADHD Emotions/Sensation Wheel
This wheel is designed specifically for individuals with ADHD, who often experience heightened or fluctuating emotions due to sensory overload or executive functioning challenges. By pinpointing where they fall on the spectrum—from feelings of overwhelm to hyper-focus—this wheel helps ADHD clients recognize and manage their emotional states, leading to better emotional regulation and understanding of their reactions.
5. The Anxiety Wheel
Anxiety can manifest in various forms, and this wheel breaks down the different emotions tied to anxious feelings. From nervousness and restlessness to more intense emotions like panic or dread, this wheel helps users pinpoint the exact nature of their anxiety. For clients who feel overwhelmed by general anxiety, using this wheel can help them articulate their feelings more clearly and take steps toward reducing their anxiety.
6. The Sensory Wheel
Sensory overload is a common experience for individuals with autism or sensory processing disorders. The Sensory Wheel helps clients identify which senses (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) are contributing to their emotional experience. It’s a valuable tool for clients who struggle with recognizing how their environment affects their mood and can be used to create more supportive and accommodating spaces.
7. Needs Wheel
This wheel focuses on unmet needs and how they contribute to emotional distress. It highlights emotional, physical, and relational needs, giving users a practical tool to reflect on what areas of their life may require more attention. By identifying their unmet needs, clients can take active steps toward fulfilling those needs, whether through self-care, seeking support, or making life adjustments.
8. Communication Wheel
The Communication Wheel breaks down different communication styles and how they relate to feelings and needs. Whether someone is using judgmental language or speaking from a place of empathy, this wheel helps individuals or therapists identify how communication impacts emotional well-being. It’s especially useful in therapy sessions where clients may struggle with assertiveness or understanding how their communication style affects their relationships.
9. Trauma Response Behavior Wheel
Understanding how trauma manifests in behavior is key to trauma recovery. This wheel offers insights into the behaviors linked to trauma, such as avoidance, hyperarousal, or dissociation. Clients who use this wheel can better understand why they may react in certain ways during triggering events, helping them become more mindful of their responses and ultimately work toward healing.
10. Power & Control Wheel
This wheel is centered on understanding dynamics of power and control in relationships, particularly where emotional or physical abuse may be present. It helps clients recognize patterns of manipulation or coercion in their relationships, offering a starting point for creating healthier, more balanced dynamics. For those who struggle with abusive relationships, this wheel is a powerful tool for gaining insight into unhealthy behaviors and finding a path toward empowerment.
11. Equality Wheel
The counterpart to the Power & Control Wheel, the Equality Wheel focuses on promoting healthy, balanced relationships. It emphasizes mutual respect, shared responsibilities, and open communication. This wheel can be used by both individuals and therapists to evaluate the quality of relationships and identify areas where improvement is needed, fostering emotional growth and deeper connection.
12. The Trauma Wheel
This wheel provides a comprehensive overview of how trauma affects the body and mind, breaking down the specific symptoms and experiences that trauma survivors often face. From hyperarousal and sleep disturbances to intrusive thoughts and flashbacks, this wheel helps clients understand the long-lasting effects of trauma and gives them language to articulate their experiences.
13. Self-Care Wheel
Self-care is essential for emotional well-being, and the Self-Care Wheel offers a practical guide to balancing various areas of life, such as physical health, emotional needs, and spiritual well-being. By regularly consulting this wheel, clients can assess whether they’re neglecting certain aspects of self-care and take steps to restore balance, whether it’s through mindfulness, exercise, or connecting with loved ones.
14. The Trauma Triggers Wheel
Trauma often leaves individuals vulnerable to certain triggers, and this wheel helps identify those triggers—whether they stem from sensory input, memories, or specific dates and places. By recognizing these triggers, clients can become more proactive in managing their responses and reduce the chances of being overwhelmed by past trauma.
15. The Emotions Sensation Wheel
This wheel combines emotions with physical sensations, helping users identify how anxiety manifests in their bodies. Whether it’s a racing heart, shallow breathing, or muscle tension, this wheel helps individuals connect their physical sensations with emotional experiences, which is a crucial part of managing anxiety.
How to Use the Wheels
With so many options, it’s natural to wonder: How exactly do I use these wheels to make a real difference in my life? Whether you’re exploring your own emotions or working through them with a therapist, these feelings wheels can be powerful tools when used with intention and consistency. Here are some practical ways to integrate these tools into your emotional well-being routine:
1. Start with Emotional Check-Ins
One of the simplest ways to use a feelings wheel is during regular emotional check-ins. Choose a specific wheel that resonates with what you’re experiencing—perhaps the Anxiety Wheel if you’re feeling on edge or the Needs Wheel if something feels “off” but you’re not quite sure why. Take a few moments to sit quietly and go through the categories on the wheel. Notice where your attention is drawn and allow yourself to name your emotions without judgment.
For example, if you feel unsettled but can’t pinpoint why, the Needs Wheel may reveal an unmet need for social connection or rest. By using the wheel as a guide, you can translate vague feelings into actionable insights.
2. Explore Triggers and Patterns
If you’re dealing with overwhelming emotions or unexpected reactions, the Types of Trauma Triggers Wheel or the Trauma Response Behavior Wheel can help you explore the source of these feelings. Use these wheels to map out potential triggers and how they manifest in your behavior. For instance, if a specific smell or memory tends to make you feel anxious or irritable, you can use the Trauma Triggers Wheel to identify that sensory experience as a trigger.
This practice of identifying triggers can help you prepare for emotionally challenging situations, allowing you to respond intentionally rather than reactively. By recognizing patterns over time, you gain more control and understanding of your emotional landscape.
3. Use Wheels for Emotional Regulation in Real-Time
When you find yourself caught in a powerful emotion—such as anger, fear, or sadness—grab a feelings wheel to help you navigate it. For example, if you’re feeling intense anger, the DBT Feelings/Skills Wheel can be particularly helpful. This wheel not only names the emotion but also suggests coping skills like grounding or radical acceptance that you can implement in the moment.
If you’re working through feelings of overwhelm, the Self-Care Wheel can guide you through self-soothing techniques or remind you of the importance of taking a break. The goal here is to use the wheel as a reminder of your coping options and choose a strategy that fits your current emotional state.
4. Journal with the Wheels for Deeper Insight
For deeper emotional work, try pairing a feelings wheel with journaling. Begin by selecting a wheel that fits your current mood or experience, such as the Trauma Wheel if you’re processing past events, or the Anxiety Sensation Wheel if your anxiety feels overwhelming. Write down the emotions or sensations you identify, and then reflect on what they might be telling you.
Questions to guide your journaling:
What might have triggered this emotion?
How does this feeling affect my thoughts or behaviors?
Is there an unmet need I’m experiencing?
What would help me feel more balanced right now?
By regularly journaling with the wheels, you can track your emotional patterns over time and see how different situations or interactions influence your feelings.
5. Incorporate the Wheels into Therapy Sessions
For therapists and clients, these wheels can be incorporated as a regular part of therapy. Use them to start sessions by checking in on emotions or to explore complex emotional experiences during discussions. For example, using the Communication Wheel, a therapist and client can analyze a recent argument to see how different communication styles may have triggered feelings of shame or resentment.
Therapists might also use the Trauma Response Behavior Wheel to help clients differentiate between avoidant and reactive behaviors during triggering situations. By visually mapping out these patterns, clients can see the cycle and start working on interrupting it with healthier coping mechanisms.
6. Create Visual Reminders for Daily Use
Consider printing out specific wheels and placing them in visible areas like your workspace, bedroom, or therapy office. For personal use, having a Self-Care Wheel near your desk can serve as a gentle reminder to check in with yourself throughout the day. For therapists, a Needs Wheel on display can prompt deeper discussions with clients about what they’re truly needing during moments of distress.
Having these visual reminders readily accessible encourages consistent use and can serve as a grounding tool in the midst of emotional overwhelm.
7. Use Wheels for Group Therapy or Workshops
Feelings wheels can be highly effective in group therapy settings or educational workshops. In a group context, these wheels can serve as visual aids to guide discussions, helping participants identify and share their emotions. For instance, using the Power & Control Wheel during a group discussion on relationship dynamics can help members recognize unhealthy patterns, fostering open conversation and collective learning.
In workshops or group therapy, you can also create activities where participants select a wheel—like the Trauma Response Behavior Wheel—and reflect on how certain emotions or responses resonate with them. This not only encourages emotional identification but also promotes connection between group members, as they share their experiences and support each other in understanding their emotions more deeply.
By incorporating feelings wheels into group work, therapists and facilitators can create an inclusive environment where emotions are more easily discussed, helping participants build emotional awareness and empathy for one another.
Feelings wheels are more than just charts; they’re guides that can help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your emotional world. By using them regularly, you can transform moments of confusion into opportunities for insight and growth.
How These Wheels Can Support Emotional Growth
Emotional growth isn’t a one-time achievement—it’s a continuous journey of self-discovery and learning. Each time you use a feelings wheel, you’re giving yourself or your clients a chance to deepen that growth by understanding emotions more clearly and responding to them with greater wisdom. So, how can these wheels be part of that journey, and what long-term benefits can you expect?
1. Building Emotional Intelligence
One of the greatest gifts of using feelings wheels is the development of emotional intelligence. By regularly using tools like the Emotion Sensation Wheel or the ADHD Emotions/Sensation Wheel, you begin to not only recognize your emotions but also understand the physical sensations that accompany them. This builds the crucial skill of emotional awareness, a cornerstone of emotional intelligence.
When clients or individuals can consistently identify their feelings and sensations, they are more likely to respond to challenges with insight rather than react impulsively. For example, a person dealing with sensory overload might learn to identify that sensation early, allowing them to take proactive steps to regulate it before becoming overwhelmed.
2. Promoting Mindfulness and Self-Reflection
Feelings wheels offer a practical way to cultivate mindfulness. Instead of letting emotions run in the background, unchecked, they invite users to pause and reflect on what they’re feeling in the present moment. Whether it’s using the Self-Care Wheel to assess which areas of life need nurturing, or the DBT Feelings/Skills Wheel to explore potential coping skills for difficult emotions, these tools encourage self-awareness.
By reflecting on emotions rather than pushing them aside, clients can become more attuned to their inner world. Over time, this habit of mindful reflection leads to a more grounded and centered emotional state.
3. Identifying and Disrupting Harmful Patterns
Feelings wheels, especially those like the Trauma Response Behavior Wheel and Power & Control Wheel, help users identify destructive emotional and behavioral patterns. By mapping out recurring triggers and responses, these wheels provide clarity on how trauma, anxiety, or relational dynamics may be impacting one’s actions.
For example, a client who frequently responds with avoidance after feeling triggered might begin to notice this pattern when using the Trauma Response Behavior Wheel. Recognizing this allows them to consciously disrupt the cycle by introducing healthier coping strategies.
4. Fostering Emotional Regulation
A significant part of emotional growth is learning to regulate emotions in a healthy and balanced way. Tools like the Anxiety Wheel and Needs Wheel are perfect for helping users identify their emotional states and unmet needs, which is the first step toward emotional regulation. By pinpointing these emotions, clients or individuals can work toward creating environments or routines that soothe their emotional distress.
For instance, using the Self-Care Wheel can help clients identify areas of neglect in their life, prompting them to engage in self-care activities that restore emotional balance. Over time, practicing emotional regulation in this way creates stronger emotional resilience and a more balanced emotional life.
5. Improving Communication and Relationships
Feelings wheels aren’t just for personal growth—they can also be incredibly effective in improving communication and relationships. The Communication Wheel helps individuals and therapists recognize the ways in which different communication styles can impact emotional responses. By using this tool, clients can better articulate their needs and emotions, fostering deeper understanding in relationships.
For couples or families, this can lead to fewer misunderstandings and a greater capacity for empathy. For therapists, helping clients improve communication with loved ones or colleagues can become a key part of their emotional growth journey.
By integrating these feelings wheels into daily life or therapy sessions, individuals and clients alike can experience meaningful emotional growth. Whether it's through improving emotional intelligence, fostering mindfulness, or improving communication, these tools act as guides for emotional development that can last a lifetime.
The Role of These Posters in Personal and Professional Settings
Feelings wheels aren’t just practical tools—they’re invaluable guides for emotional well-being, whether used in personal reflection or professional therapeutic settings. In daily life, these wheels offer a tangible way to check in with your emotions, identify triggers, and find healthy ways to cope with overwhelming feelings. For individuals on a journey of self-discovery, these posters provide a structured method to unravel complex emotions, offering clarity and direction in moments of uncertainty.
For therapists and mental health practitioners, the 15 Different Feelings Wheels provide a comprehensive set of tools that can be integrated into sessions to enhance emotional exploration. Whether working with clients on trauma recovery, emotional regulation, or relationship dynamics, these posters can act as visual aids that deepen conversations and guide clients toward greater self-awareness.
In professional settings like group therapy or workshops, the visual impact of these wheels fosters collaboration and open dialogue, helping participants feel seen and understood. These tools offer a common language that makes emotions more approachable, helping to break down the barriers that often keep feelings locked away.
Whether you’re working on your own emotional growth or guiding others on their journey, these feelings wheels can support meaningful progress. They serve as a bridge between emotion and understanding, offering a path toward emotional resilience, self-compassion, and healthy communication.
Gentle Observation: I’ve found that using these wheels with clients—and even for myself—often leads to those powerful “aha” moments where everything seems to click into place. Emotions that once felt overwhelming suddenly become clearer, more manageable. It’s a reminder that with the right tools, we can all better understand our inner world. I hope you or your clients will find the same comfort and clarity through these wheels, as they’ve made a big difference for me personally.
Jemma (Gentle Observations Team)
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