Have you ever felt emotions bubbling inside, sometimes meshing into a blur, making it hard to distinguish joy from anxiety? We've all been buffeted by a whirlwind of feelings that seem to have a mind of their own. It can be hard to pull our feelings apart, which is why we created a simple tool to help you identify and sort out your emotions.
Making Friends with Your Feelings with Emotional Visualization Tools
Feelings don't come with an instruction manual—and most of us were not taught emotional awareness and intelligence when we were young. More often than not, they barge into our lives, whether invited or not. Some days they weigh us down, other days they take complete control — it can feel like we’re occupied by them, without the power to make rational decisions.
Learning how to manage your feelings is one of the most important mental health skills you’ll learn on your journey to wellness. Therapists have utilized visual aids in sessions for patients with all sorts of mental health challenges, and academic research from the DBT community has explored the effectiveness of these tools in treating conditions like Autism.
At TheaHive, we’re all about giving you the tools to take control of your mental health on your own terms. This is why we’re excited to share our own emotional visualization infographic with you here!
With TheraHive’s Emotion Visualization poster, you get the power to name and, thereby, manage those fleeting emotions. You can use this not only when you’re feeling overwhelmed by emotion, but also when you’re just not really sure how you feel in a given moment or about a particular situation. It’s also a great tool for parents to use to help children start to navigate their own emotional landscape.
But First, What Makes This Poster Different?
Emotional visualization posters have been around for a while, with the first ever version dating back to pioneering psychologist Robert Plutchik in 1980. If you’ve been exploring the world of mental health for a while, you may have come across other posters that look a little like this. Research supports the power of these visualization tools to help people understand their emotions, so its not surprising that there are a lot of versions out there.
What makes our version different is that it takes inspiration from those that have come before, factors in the research on what actually works (and what doesn’t), and pulls it together in a simple, clear framework that is accurate, relevant and helpful. Created by qualified experts, but simple enough to be used by anybody — parents, patients, and anyone searching for more clarity on their own emotional world.
Check Out the Emotional Visualization Poster
At the heart of the poster, two axes dictate the emotional playground. Vertically, emotions vary in intensity — from a fervent peak to a gentle ebb. Horizontally, feelings swing between the negative and positive poles. Each emotion, be it the high-octane fury or the mellow love, comes alive through quirky hexagon avatars.
You can use the poster however you like — print it and keep it with you every day. Set it as your computer background. Even keep an image of it on your phone so it’s always handy wherever you are.
— Download The Poster Now [PNG]
Embracing Feelings, One Avatar At A Time
Our emotions make us who we are. With TheraHive’s Emotion Visualization Poster, we hope to give you a tool that not only helps you understand them better but also harness them in ways that foster growth and understanding. So, the next time emotions come knocking, you won’t just be ready, you’ll be in charge.
And if you decide to tread further with us, these avatars will be your companions through the TheraHive courses, especially as you explore Mindfulness, one of the pillars of DBT. Whenever an instructor talks about an emotion, you’ll see the little character of that emotion pop up in the video or case study — so don’t forget to say hi!
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